Being brutally honest here, I have days when I simply do not like that fifty-year-old dude staring back at me in the mirror. I’m not as thin as I used to be. I’m not as young as I used to be. The enemy of my soul, as well as my own self-doubts, combine to really do a number on my self-esteem.
But you know what? God made me exactly how I am, and He loves me with an everlasting affection I can’t even comprehend. Ever watched a loving parent’s eyes light up when their kid walks in the room? Yeah, that’s God’s face when He talks about us. “That’s my CHILD right there,” He smiles.
Additionally, my self-improvement go-to lately seems to be to “try and see myself the way my grandson sees me.” Joshua doesn’t see “fat.” He doesn’t see “bald.” He doesn’t see “aging.”
But you know what he does see? Frowning. He also senses depression and feels sadness.
He also hears laughter, feels tickles, hugs and love, and sees me smile.
So I try and see myself through his eyes.
God bless him.
If you have the same struggles, I’d like to assert that you are NOT all those terrible things others have said about you (or maybe you’ve told yourself). You are a precious gift, and God is crazy about you.
It’s impossible to fully see anything through God’s eyes, but if we try and view ourselves as He sees us, we will begin to understand we are a marvel and a miracle, not a terror or a tragedy. He created us exactly as we are, and He’s thinking about us every moment. Here’s proof:
“You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly you know me, Lord!
“You even formed every bone in my body when you created me in the secret place, carefully, skillfully shaping me from nothing to something. You saw who you created me to be before I became me!
“Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book.
“Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me. (Psalm 139:13-18)”
The reassurance that God made us—and loves us—exactly the way we are helps us to (hopefully) have a better self-image. Even beyond this, however, it is vital we love ourselves.
In the article, “Loving God, Yourself & Others,” (https://www.joycemeyer.org/everydayanswers/ea-teachings/loving-god-yourself-and-others), Evangelist Joyce Meyers writes:
“Loving Yourself – When Jesus talked about the greatest commandment of all, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 and said we are to love God with all our heart. But He also added the second greatest commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (See Mark 12:31.)
“There’s something important here that I think people often miss: You cannot give away something you don’t have in you. How can someone love another person if they don’t love themselves?
“‘You cannot give away something you don’t have in you.’
“We all need to accept ourselves, embrace our personalities and even our imperfections, knowing that although we are not where we need to be, we are making progress. Jesus died for us because we have weaknesses and imperfections, and we don’t have to reject ourselves because of them. God wants us to love ourselves and enjoy how He’s made us!”
I know you may be used to loathing the person you see in the mirror (and in storefront reflections), but I believe it’s imperative we begin to love ourselves, and understand God made us as we are, and He is CRAZY about us.
As the old saying goes, “God don’t make no junk.”
Have a great day, my friend.
Broken People 