Now to start this article, let me just say that I love Pinterest. I have over 6500 pins and I've only had the account for about two years. I believe that Pinterest has been a useful tool and even a blessing in my life. Here are some quick reasons why I love it:
1. I have very few cookbooks here on the mission field. I find most of my new recipes from Pinterest and am always looking for more to add to my repertoire.
2. I love all the idea boards I've been able to build over the past couple years, all without taking up any space in my filing cabinet. Easily added to, readily accessed. It's a dream!
3. I've learned a lot about myself. By collecting items that I like I've created many boards that express my personality: my clothing style, my home decor style, my nutrition philosophy, etc.
4. I've branched out into a lot of creative avenues and built some new skills that I otherwise probably never would have. I love browsing all the creative diy ideas there are out there, and I've been brave enough to try a few of them. Like this tree Advent calendar I made one year.
Or the Bible quiet book that I made. I saw a few ideas that I liked and that spurred me on to create a lot of new things and build a lot of confidence in sewing and crafting projects.
So with all these good things to say about Pinterest, you may be wondering what the big deal is. What's the danger?
The danger, clear and simple, is this: beware of the discontentment Pinterest can give. I say this in all seriousness. Nothing can rob a Christian's joy faster than discontentment. I've found myself falling into this sad state of heart more than once, so I thought I'd offer some warning to my fellow sisters in Christ. Pinterest is a great tool, but don't let it rob you of your joy.
If you see that your kitchen is usually much less than Pinterest worthy, don't worry! If you haven't done a single creative project the entire month, don't sweat it. Don't let the guilt of having less than blog worthy moments in your life let you become depressed.
I firmly believe that women have an innate, God-given desire to create beauty around us (and to make ourselves beautiful as well). Within balance this is a beautiful quality and can bring much richness and blessing to ourselves and those around us. However, it can be overemphasized or abused, as most good qualities can. If we find ourselves constantly focusing on fulfilling that desire and feeling disappointed when we don’t measure up to our perfect “idea,” that’s where it becomes a big problem.
The Bible says in I Timothy 6:6 that “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” And Paul talked about learning the necessary quality of contentment in Philippians 4. Contentment is being happy and at peace with what the Lord has provided. The opposite of contentment is covetousness, and that is a serious offense in God’s eyes (See Ephesians 5:3 and Exodus 20:17).
So how does this work out practically in our lives? It involves learning to have balance between creating a beautiful world and yet not being consumed by covetousness and discontent for the here and now. It’s a challenge, and there’s not just one simple answer. But I do believe it comes down to the attitude of the heart. You can, by all means, collect your ideas and dream of doing new and wonderful projects. However, maintain at all times your peaceful contentment for the way things are, for what God has so graciously provided for you. Your home doesn’t have to look like the perfectly decorated magazine model display in order for you to be happy (and indeed, such things promise happiness and never truly deliver). Sometimes it means just looking for the beauty that already exists in your surroundings and learning to focus on those bright areas instead of on the areas that are not so beautiful. Sometimes it means changing our perspective on what is beautiful.
Most importantly, we can have a heart attitude of peace and contentment because of what Christ did for us, no matter what our outward circumstances are like. Take the words of Hebrews 13:5 to heart: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'” Christ’s presence is our source of true joy and happiness and everything else pales by comparison.
So by all means, enjoy Pinterest and collect your awesome ideas. But amongst all your learning and growing, learn to be content!
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