Journey into Lightl

I have been trained to see myself as others see me, or how I think they see me. It is embarrassing to me to admit that in some areas I still tend to see myself as my mother did long ago regarding my looks. I felt unacceptable and diminished when she pointed out to me my appearance flaws.

So, when I think about it, it is not too surprising to me that I was disturbed the other night when I caught my image in a mirror that showed that I was nearly bald on top. My thinning hair on top nearly disappeared in the bright lights of the room. It was as if the top of my head was stamped with “shame, “unacceptable,” and rejected.” So, without thinking, I did what I usually do, which was to try to put the image out of my mind.

I chose to believe that my worth and acceptability depended on not being bald on the top of my head. I could not believe in that moment that being bald on top did not diminish me in God’s eyes. However, I then came to my senses.

Before I could put the image out of my mind, I decided to change the image to match the truth. Instead of “shame”, “unacceptable”, and “rejected” stamped on the top of my head, I now saw “approved,” “loved,” and “precious” stamped on the bald top of my head. I knew that God accepted me with or without hair. There was absolutely no flaw in me that would ever cause him to reject me. So, I decided to put off the old image and put on the new one.

So, the next morning when I noticed in the mirror that I had an absence of hair on top, I pictured “approved”, “loved”, and “precious” stamped all over it. Now, I am beginning to feel differently about my thinning hair. It is no longer a source of shame, but a trigger to praise God and his grace, and to feel good about myself. I am retraining myself to see myself as God sees me.

I encourage you to ask God to help you discern where you are seeing yourself less than the way God sees you. For example, you may not see yourself as very important because of your looks, your achievements, or what people think of you. Baloney! You are important! God says, “You are precious in My sight, you are honored, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4). We need to put off the old ways of seeing ourselves, and with God’s help, see ourselves as God sees us.