Look into the mirror

What does your reflection tell you?

Let’s be real here.

Your eyes speak of trying so hard. Your lips are sore from speaking and being unheard. That forehead is pounding from performance. And your shoulders ache from the struggle to reach above obscurity.

When you get real, what does your reflection say?

When you take off the layers of your efforts, the pages of your education, and your contoured cheekbones, do you ever feel like all that is left of you is an empty frame? Are you afraid of what you may see if your soul is left bare?

Do you like your real reflection?

Are you enough without all the glam, the noise, the painted canvas? Void of the colored fabric, the numbers in your bank account, your unique talents, or the people around your table. At the end of the day, it is just you standing in the mirror. Just you. Nothing to polish you up, or embellish you over. Are you scared to see the frame you are left with?

A lot of times we are ashamed of things we cannot even change about ourselves! There comes a point in our life when we need to remove the mask and look fear in the face. We must confront the lie that we are not enough. 

It has been said, “Perhaps the greatest risk any of us will take is to be seen by others as we truly are.” To show yourself entirely to another person is a huge risk. But I believe the greatest risk is to see our own reflection and fully love and accept ourselves.

If a mirror could speak

If you could hear your Heavenly Father speak through that mirror He would say,

”You see your flaws, but I see My design. You see imperfections, but I see how you are a one of a kind. You see ugly, but I see beauty. You see where you are weak, but I see space for Me to be your Dad. Your empty places and hurting faces turn vibrant when you see how I look at you."

Past the disability is a great ability to be a champion. Under the layers of contour, you are not undefined and unrefined. Behind that perfectly placed curl, you are a perfectly designed person. And deeper than your Ivy League degree is a mind worth knowing. You are beautiful. You are worth loving. You are worth spending time with. And you are worth being seen for the person you are under every layer. God adores you and that's what counts!

Powerful daughters of God do not wait for the world to tell you if you are worth loving or not. A powerful woman loves herself anyway.

When we love ourselves, we teach others how to treat us. And when we accept ourselves we are then able to accept others. There is a risk in being vulnerable. But the beauty of this risk is the reward of being seen and accepted in our purest form.   

Say what God says!

Above everything else, watch your words! Be kind with your words! Not just to others, but to yourself. Your words can fill the frame of your life with beauty & color. Your words can bring vibrancy with the force of change. 

More powerful than your words are God’s words. God loves you just the way you are, because He designed you. When God comes to live with you, the empty frame of your heart begins to be filled with pictures of belonging, of affection, and of family. His words are the final say on your life. And His words always empower you because He loves you!

Allow God to illuminate your self-image. Invite God to be the eyes through which you see your reflection. Allow God's voice to out roar the sound of the crowd or the whisper of self-hatred. When you invite God into your framework He will help you accept your design. The loneliness, the ugly thoughts, the helpless mindsets will vanish like darkness runs when the lights turn on. 

Even with all your rough edges, you’re beautiful. 

Share! 

Have you ever struggled to love yourself? Do you have some truth to share about being an overcomer? Whether you are in the middle of a mess, or coming out of one, I would love to hear about it in the comments below! 

Love, 

Laurel 

Grow your heart!