Learning To Like The Man/Woman In The Mirror
Well, it's happened to everyone. You look in the mirror and groan.
"My teeth are crooked"..."My nose is to big"....."My eyes are to small".... "I don't like my hair"...."I don't like the color of my eyes"...."I'm to skinny"... "I'm to fat"... "I'm to short"... "I'm to tall"... "I'm to dark"..."I'm to fair"....
Sound familiar?
If you have'nt ever made those comments, you're about the only one on the planet who hasn't.
All to often we rate our self worth by who or what we see in magazines or those we see on television.
We think that if we were "God", we sure could have done better than to have given us the looks that we have.
Let me share a secret with you.
If you keep thinking like that you will never learn to like yourself or honor "God Almighty" as "The One Who Knows What He Is Doing".
The Bible says in Psalm 139:14
"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;"...
Until you can believe that very fact, you will stand in front of that mirror and criticize God's handiwork!
Illustration #1
Before I became a christian I measured my self by not only what I saw in magazines, and who I saw on t.v, but also by my friends.
A certain one had beautiful hair.
If only I could have her hair...
Another one had a perfect complexion.
If only I could have her complexion....
Another one had a beautiful body.
If only I could have her long lean body instead of bieng stuck in this short stubby little one!....
Yeah, if I could have made a person that had all those physical attributes she would have been a beauty alright (at least in my eyes).
But the Bible speaks to us about comparing our selves to others. It says in 2Corinthians 10:12:(last part of the verse)
"But they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."
Let me repeat that one part again:
"....Are Not Wise...."
How silly we are to compare our selves to someone else. It only brings us pain and heartache.
On top of that it is also covetesness (wanting what someones else has), and that is a sin according to the Word of God.
Illustration #2
Because I compared myself to others, my self esteem began to fall, and it fell, and fell....
You get the picture.
It came to the point where I felt so ugly and worthless that I walked with head bowed, looking to the ground. Never, and I mean never did I look a person in the eye. I was certain that they were thinking..."Agghhh...how ugly do they get?"
When I walked into a room I always hid behind someone bigger than me so that I would go unnoticed (I hoped).
Is this sounding like you, or someone you know?
Then let me give you some "holy advice".
The first thing you must do is to stop questioning God about the way that He made you.
The Bible says in Isaiah 45:9 (again the last part of the verse)
"Shall the clay say to him who forms it 'What are you making?' Or shall your handiwork say 'He has no hands?'
The point is this:
God does not make mistakes.
He knows exactly what He is doing.
God does not make junk!
Illustration #3
I used to give ceramic lessons. I have made and fashioned with these hands all sort of items.
If one of my vases that I was making, lets say, spoke to me and said "Why are you glazing me that color? I want to be blue and you have made me green!"
The first thing I would have done is fall off my chair....then I would have cast the demon out of the thing, and then I would ask that silly vase what gave it the nerve to question why or how I was making it!
Have you ever stopped to see how that must make God feel?
He creates each one of us with loving care. Each detail is unique. There are no two people exactly the same.
Then we shake a fist at Him and tell Him how He could have done better!
Illustration #4
The Lord has taught me so much about my relationship with Him through our children.
Some time ago one of my children came to me and said "I dont like the way I look. I dont like this, and I dont like that. I wish I could change the way I look about this and that."
I tried to tell my son that he was handsome, and that he was noticeing flaws that no one else ever saw. But he insisted that he was "ugly". You know, it grieved me deeply that no matter what I said to this young handsome man, he believed that he was ugly.
How dare we question God as to why or why not He does things?
"Well," you say, "this is all fine and good to know, but how does it help me over come my lack of self-esteem?
Let me tell you then.
I have "tried God", and found Him to be true. I believe that if you will apply the principles I lay down here, you to can over come you lack of self-esteem.
#1. Get your eyes off of your self!
To get blunt with you, lack of self-esteem is just as much vanity as the person who thinks they are Gods gift to this world. It is self-esteem in reverse!
#2. Repent of the fact that you have been questioning God about the way He made you.
You might say, "I have never directly accused God of createing me poorly".
You have if your not content with the way you look. It has just taken the form of silent criticism, and God hears all, even your silent thoughts.
3. You must renew your mind with the Word of God. You must read and meditate on the scriptures that tell you how precious you are in God's sight. Scriptures of God's love, mercy, tenderness and goodness towards you.
Here are a few scriptures that helped me. Don't just read them and expect *poof*, there, all better.
This stronghold has probably taken many years to get a mighty grasp on you and you will probably have to fight this foe with the Word of God for some time. But the end result is worth it.
Psalm 139:14-18
Psalm Chapter 8
1Peter 3:3,4
1 John 4:18
John 15:9
Jeremiah 31:3
#4. Now this is the tough one!
Begin to see yourself as God see's you. Stop looking at all your flaws and see your self as precious and beautiful as the Lord see's you.
But don't go get vain now!
There is a cute little saying that goes like this:
"I'm not conceited, conceit is a flaw...and I'm perfect"!
#5. Ask God to show you yourself through His eyes, the way that He sees you!
Illustration #5
As I had said earlier I really lacked self-esteem. I applied these truths that God gave me. But a year ago I had the wonderful oportunity to fly to California to spend a week with my husband who was working there.
Before I left for the airport, of course I tried to make myself all pretty for my hubby who would be meeting me at the end of my journey.
When I was done "getting all pretty", I stood back and looked in the mirror and saw.....yuck!
It took all that time primping to look like that?
The two things I noticed most was the new fine wrinkle on my forehead that I'm sure wasn't there the day before, and the brand new single strand of gray hair (that I quickly plucked out).
It was time to leave for the airport, there was no more time to primp. So, I asked the Lord, "Lord, let people not see me today. Cloak me with Your Beauty of Holiness Father. When they see me, let them see You."
I'd like to say that suddenly God bestowed upon me beauty untold, but I looked the same when I was done praying.
However, when I got to the airport, I checked my bags in. There was a young lad standing there that worked there. He was sort of starring at me. Finally he just up and said that that I was beautiful. No reason, he just said it.
I was a little stunned.
But then I remembered the prayer that I had prayed earlier and my heart began to pound. That young man had not seen me. He had seen the Holiness and Beauty of the Lord upon me.
Do you have any idea what that feels like to know that someone has seen Jesus in you and on you?
All the thrill of all the face lifts and tummy tucks in the world couldn't measure up to what I felt at that moment.
So now, see your self as God sees you. Look at your self though His eyes. Clothe yourself with the Beauty and Holiness of the Lord!
Don't believe the lies of the devil that say that you are ugly.
You Are Beautiful!!
