By Cyndi
When you look in the mirror, who do you see? What do you call yourself?
If you’re a woman like me, there’s a good chance that you do a turn to the side (for the side view), or an upclose poke on the face (for wrinkles) first before anything else. Seconds later, words come into the mind: overweight, big thighs, droopy arms, crow’s feet, double chin, grey hair, etc. which quickly leads to the formal pronouncement: “I’m ________.” (Am I the only one who does this?)
I recently went through a program where you were not supposed to look at yourself in the mirror for 30 days except only to brush your hair or teeth. Boy, was that hard! I didn’t realize I was into judging my appearance that much until I couldn’t look in the mirror—it had become a habit! A bad one at that!
Stop right now, take a minute, and think of what you typically call yourself. What words to you use to describe yourself?
Did you do it? If not, stop now, and think about it.
Dear reader, what came out? Was it positive? Negative? Was it only about your physical characteristics? Your attributes? Your abilities? Your job/position?
Now here it comes…wait for it….
What do you think Father God says about you? Don’t you think we should be telling ourselves what He thinks about us? After all, He is our Creator. I think He knew exactly what He was doing when He made us.
Plus, He’s always with us. (Matt. 28:20) He’s walking side-by-side with us everyday, living life with us through the good times and the bad. He sees our struggles and our mountaintop glories. And He always has good things to say about us.
There is a Father’s Love Letter written by Barry Adams which has some of those wonderful things He says about us. If you’ve never heard or seen this, I highly recommend you take some time and check it out.
I also found a wonderful father/daughter routine of some daily affirmations that may uplift your spirit and give you some ideas of how to view yourself in the mirror.
I realize our self-image can be damaged from life experiences; mine was. And there are times when I still struggle with the figure I see in the mirror, though it’s getting better. As I continue to receive how much God loves me everyday, I know I’m making progress with that view in the mirror.