Have you ever gotten up from a good night of sleep feeling
well rested and ready to rock the day? Getting ready your hair seems to fall
just right, you make up looks flawless? Your outfit is cute, comfy AND fits
well? Your coffee comes out just right, the sun is shining and all signs point
to a good day.
I love those days! But the reality is, not every day is picture perfect. Not every day goes according to plan. Not every day feels good. Not every day looks good.
So what do you do with the ‘off days’? How do you handle
those?
Today after staying in bed for just one too many snoozes, I
got ready, looked at myself in the mirror and just sighed. I wasn’t very
content with what I saw. I wasn’t happy with my reflection. My hair was pulled
back in a messy bun, my shirt was kind of wrinkled from pulling it out of the
laundry basket last minute, my nails looked short and chopping and my stomach,
well let’s just say the ‘momma pouch’ is a real thing.
I whispered… ‘God,
help me to love myself past my reflection.’
I hate that how I feel about myself at times is contingent
upon my outward appearance, my wardrobe or the condition of my hair. When I look
good, I feel good. There’s nothing wrong with looking good, but I need
something more than that. My soul can’t
be sustained by a love that is conditional of so many changing factors.
Learning to love myself past my reflection means learning to
love myself far beyond what I can see in the mirror. It means learning to love myself
for who I am and not what I look like.
Shortly after I murmured this prayer, I was reminded of the
book of Genesis were we see that when God created man, He created him in His
own image, in His own likeness.
Ironically enough, we serve an invisible God who cannot be
seen by the naked eye and has no physical form. He is not tall and thin, He is
not short and round, He is not blonde, brunette or redhead, He is not
physically fit or out of shape. God is God and THAT is all He needs to be.
So what does that mean to be made in the image of someone
who can’t be seen? Could it mean that our being is far more then what we see on
the outside?
Sometimes as a mother and wife, being present in the everyday
life of my children and husband, even work or ministry, means I can’t always be
100% present for myself. I can’t always be dressed up and done up, BUT despite
what I look like on the outside, I’m still made in the image of love.
I am still beautiful.
Love yourself past the reflection you seen in the mirror
because your reflection goes far past and much deeper then what you see. You
are a reflection of a living God, the one who created you, the one who sustains
you. You reflection is far more then skin and bones, hair and makeup, nails and
clothes.
You are a reflection of strength, love, dignity and
integrity. You are a mighty woman of valor and you have been fearfully
and wonderfully made.
My prayer for you is that God can help you to love yourself deeper
than this surface image and you can learn to love yourself for who you are and
not just what you look like.
