What I didn’t intend to post was our not-so-lovely attire of hooded raincoats. Thankfully, Christina had warned me about the seagulls that flew around pooping on everything and everyone. Bird poop doesn’t exactly make a good Instagram post.

The experience made me stop and think. How many times do I doomscroll through social media viewing the glamorous, exciting posts of my friends – the starfish moments – and then compare them to my own bird poop moments? Most people don’t show the messy side of life, only the carefully curated highlight reels.

But here’s the good news: while we are comparing our behind-the-scenes messy moments to others’ highlight reels, God sees our whole story and loves us anyway. He’s not waiting for us to clean ourselves up before He loves us. Romans 5:8 tells us that “. . . God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Did you catch that? “While we were still sinners.” He chose to love us even when we were dead in our sin.

Your worth isn’t determined by what you do or by how your life measures up to other people. Your worth is found in being God’s dearly loved child, bird poop and all.

So how do we stop the comparison game and live in the confidence of being God’s beloved child?

First, realize what you see online (and sometimes in person) is NOT the whole picture. Everyone has issues they try to hide, so we rarely see them. Second, be brave and share some messy moments with trusted friends and mentors. You’ll soon discover that other people have the same problems. Satan loves to keep us isolated and believing we are alone. When we share our struggles, it frees others to be honest as well, enabling us to confide in each other. Third, be thankful for all your experiences. We mature and become stronger when we persevere through problems. Also, celebrate your small victories and mundane experiences. Often, the little moments are the ones we remember and become the most meaningful. Thank God for all the blessings He gives us.

Remember the God who made the starfish and the birds made you, too. He is Lord over both the highlight reels and the messy moments. He loves you in the victories and the struggles. You are worthy of love simply because He made you, and you are His.