Learning to Love the Girl in the Mirror

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There I was in the bathroom of a local restaurant when they came in.

You know, those ladies.

The ones that have a lifetime of being beautiful, thin, popular, and just exude confidence from their perfect pores.

 

Just their presence made me more aware of my shortcomings and my thrift store clothes, which I was pretty satisfied with when I left the house.

I really was minding my own business as I washed my hands, but couldn’t help overhear their conversation.

They were complaining about their looks, all three of their perfect faces scrunched up in the mirror and whining about every so-called-flaw.

Seriously?!  I saw no flaws whatsoever in the women. They looked like the types that have never had a beauty dilemma in their life.

When you look at your reflection, do you see every flaw? You were made for so much more than meets the eye, and here's how to embrace your true worth.

But then it hit me.

No matter how impressive you look on the outside, most women are insecure about some aspect of their appearance.

Most have an inner monologue that criticizes instead of loves, that scrutinizes instead of embraces.

Have you ever thought something like this….

“I wish my ____ were a little smaller.”

“If only I had less wrinkles.”

“These gray hairs make me look OLD!”

“My stomach is flabby and won’t go down after childbirth.”

“I hate my ______.  ”

“I would be satisfied with my appearance if______.”

If we’re honest, most of us can relate to at least one of these scenarios.

But friend, you and I need to talk.

It’s time we as women, start learning to accept who we are, flaws and all and let go of ridiculous standards of perfection.

If we were sitting face to face, I’d have to be honest and say,

“Friend,

You were made to be you.

Your looks, your face, those gray hairs are not a mistake.

Those curves and those wrinkles were designed and fashioned by God.

He created you with love and designed you EXACTLY as you should be.

But He didn’t just sculpt your body in His image.

He gave you a heart to love deeply and a personality to make your outer beauty sparkle and shine.

God sees you are beautiful and calls you beloved, so why don’t you?

Learning to love the girl in the mirror may not be easy, but you were meant to be more than your reflection.

It’s time to accept yourself as you are.

Take a long, objective look in the mirror. Honestly evaluate your outer appearance.

You may not see a supermodel, or a flawless face, but look closely as to not miss who you really are.

Those wrinkles are road maps to times of laughter and joy. That’s beauty.

That crease in your brow line tells of times when life was tough and serious, yet here you are.  You overcame. That’s character.

That stomach that doesn’t lay as flat as it used to, nestled your unborn babies.  That’s selfless.

There may be extra pounds on your frame now, but they don’t define you; there is more to you on the inside than what meets the eye. That’s strength.

 

Inside, you are filled with talents and abilities given to you by God.

He is grooming you, molding you, preparing you in His image to blossom with the gifts He’s blessed you with for His glory.

Regardless of what your outer vessel looks like, you have a talent, a purpose, and a reason you are here on earth.

You are the only one that can fulfill your calling for His Kingdom.

So be kind to yourself and quit the negative self talk!

It’s time to accept who you are, every last flaw, and trust that you are a work in progress.

More importantly, God’s working on your heart, refining your inner beauty, and eventually the joy of the Lord will bubble over into your outer appearance, making you radiate His love to the world.

He’s not finished with you yet.

You can rest in His love, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus,” Phillippians 1:6.

While you wait for your purpose to be revealed and you try to love the girl in the mirror, don’t compare yourself to others.

When you compare yourself to others and wish to be someone you’re not, you miss the beauty of who God created you to be.

Don’t shame His handiwork, telling Him you’re are not satisfied with His creation and the vessel He’s created for you.

And in those moments of doubt, when you look in the mirror to find another wrinkle or catch a glimpse of another gray hair, you can rest in knowing you weren’t made to be perfect.

While you may never fully accept the girl in your reflection, your inner beauty is what matters to the Lord.

And when your confidence rests in Him alone, there is hardly a more breathtaking woman. You are beloved.

“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

I Samuel 16:7

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