​The way we can express ourselves online has changed rapidly in the last few years. Before Emojis existed, we had to describe our emotions through words to convey how we feel about something. It was a longer process and took more critical thinking to interpret.

Nowadays all we need to express a feeling or sentiment is just a few clicks away with a variety of emojis to choose from. Happy, sick, angry, in love, annoyed, and more faces are on our palate to choose from. Emojis are fun to use and there are now emoji options to express your race if you choose.

Emojis are also powerful. I have seen people tell entire stories solely using emojis to express their thoughts. Since emojis are so expressive you can literally say anything you want through them. They are symbols of how we are feeling and how we wish to communicate that to others. 

However not every combination is a positive one. For example, I have seen some people post an emoji face with the gun pointing at it to further express how they feel about a situation. However, I do not think these individuals who post these emojis understand how that emoji statement affects others. People who have been through depression or someone who has lost someone to suicide may feel angry, sad, and/or frustrated when seeing this emoji combination being used.

You can choose how to arrange emojis to express your emotion. The saying, a picture is worth a thousand words, rings true when discussing the power of emojis. Instead of explaining your feelings, you are showing people how you feel through them. And each individual who sees your message post, will interpret your use of emojis in a different way.

​It began while scrolling through your Facebook account.  You saw a picture of your friends at a party.  Everyone was there, smiling and having fun.

"What?  When did this happen?" you ask yourself, "Why wasn't I invited?"

Or perhaps you were in science class and the teacher asked you to pick a partner.  You hurried over to your BFF, but she had already chosen someone else.  "Sorry," she tells you as she turns away.

And just like that, your world turns upside down.  

What is going on? Are you still friends? 

You want things to be the same again, because it's hard to be off-balance. It's hard to look at your friend laughing, while you're feeling hurt and betrayed.

Take a deep breathe.  It'll be okay.  Let me share a couple of ideas that may help you get your relationship back on track. 

First of all, give your friend some grace.  Sometimes people hurt each other without even realizing it. Try looking at the situation objectively.  Could there be an innocent reason why these things happened?  Could it be your friends didn't invite you that day because they thought you were already busy?  Would it be possible that the other girl in science class asked your friend to be a partner with her first, and your friend didn't want to hurt her feelings? Most of the time there's an innocent reason why something happened.

Try talking to your friend as a friend.  Don't  automatically "go to the dark side," and begin making accusations and hurling insults to get revenge for your hurt feelings. Instead, ask her why you weren't included, or tell her how disappointed you were when you didn't get to be her partner.  Find out the true facts.

More than likely, you'll find out she cares for you, and she wasn't intentionally trying to hurt your feelings.  

But what if?

What if you do find out she was trying to exclude you?  Ask her why.  Maybe there was something you did that unintentionally hurt her feelings.  If that's the case, make amends...even if she misinterpreted your actions.

It's always better to be kind than to be "right," especially when it comes to repairing our relationships with our family and friends.

​The best way to have a friend, is to be one.

Rejection hurts, especially when it comes from a parent.

It's a deep hurt, isn't it? A hurt that sinks into your very being and makes you wonder what is so bad about you, it would keep your own parents from loving you. You've tried, but nothing seems to earn you their love.

You'd like to think it's because they don't know how to show love, but they do.  You watch them shower it on your sibling, which is really hard to endure.

They shower them with praise.
They shower them with attention.
They shower them with gifts.

It's really unfair. Everyone needs their families to show them love, and when your family fails to do this, it hurts.

Unfortunately, it's very common for families to hurt each other in this manner. When this happens, you need to remember:

       Just because you're not valued, doesn't mean you're not valuable.

Think about the people who have become millionaires after finding something someone else threw away.  It shows us that humans have a knack for failing to see the value of things.

      And you, my friend, are valuable.
     
I know I tell you this over and over, but I want you to understand. Everyone has value, and this value isn't tied to someone else's perspective, not even your parents'.

Here's what you can do:  Ignore the words and actions by your parents that are based in any anger, brokenness or addictions. You can't trust those. Listen for any words that are spoken from wisdom and compassion. You may find wonderful nuggets of advice and love hidden among the hurtful ones.

 Then try telling your parents how you feel one more time.  Stay away from phrases like, "You always" and "You never."  That will only put them on the defensive and keep them from listening to the real issue.  Instead, tell them:

     I'm feeling hurt right now and I need you to show me you love me. That would help me so much right now.

Hopefully, they'll hear the pain behind those words and show you how much they care.  If they don't, remember this:

       Just because you're not valued, doesn't mean you're not valuable.