Have you ever looked in a mirror and are not very happy with the reflection you see? If we were truly honest with ourselves most of us would have to say yes. A lot of times the reflection we see mirrors exactly what we are feeling about ourselves and what we think of ourselves at that point in time. On our difficult days we may be feeling a bit ugly or not pretty enough, too fat, or like a failure, unworthy, broken, damaged goods, worn out or a hopeless mess. We are our worst critic and sometimes it doesn’t matter what our husband thinks or what our family or friends tell us.
All we hear is our inner self (or feelings )talking, dictating to our mind what we should think of ourselves and then in turn our mind tells our brain what it believes is fact. Our brain takes the information and shows the eyes what it thinks it sees. How deceptive our minds and thoughts can be all based on our feelings! How sad it is that what we perceive of ourselves is based on what happened to us or how we feel about ourselves is based on a situation or circumstance. A lot of times we have a tendency to take in an event or crisis/trauma that happened to us and internalize it, making it a part of who we are and allowing it to form our identity. Some of us don’t even recognize that that is exactly what we have done. We tell ourselves that this is what has happened to us and it has formed who we are. Or we tell ourselves that it really didn’t affect us and stuff it down. Or maybe we tell ourselves that it happened a long time ago and it is no longer relevant. We often do whatever we can do to help us move forward or what we think is moving forward, when really we are stuck because of that emotional trauma.
Every so often it comes up to the surface and causes us to react when someone does or says something harmless, but we take it the wrong way and allow for it to affect us. All because of a past trauma that we thought we got over. It may have been a negative word that was spoken over you or a betrayal of trust. Sometimes it’s the ones we love the most that end up wounding us.
Does this sound like you? Reality is that every one of us has experienced some kind of negative life event whether big or small in our own eyes. The Bible says that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to steal the truth of who we are and destroy our identity. It is as if you are looking in a cracked mirror and seeing a broken reflection of who you are. Each crack or fragment is a life trauma or hurt that happened to you. Some of us have more than others.
1 Corinthians 13:12 says: For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (ESV). The reflection we see of ourselves in the mirror may be a skewed one and we may not see a semblance of who God created us to be. We see dimly the image that Christ created us to be. God wants for us to see ourselves the way He sees us and to reveal to us the unique facets that He created in us individually. He wants for us to come to a place where we fully know ourselves the way He sees us, just like He already fully knows us.
How do we get to that place you may ask? It’s by not only studying the Word of God and transforming our mind but also practically working on the way we perceive ourselves by dealing with past hurts. It is a process where there is beauty in the metamorphosis. I want to lead you on a journey where we take practical steps to do this with the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit.
If you are ready to face the good the bad and the ugly, let’s start this journey because what you will get out of it will be a beautiful freedom where you are able to fly to heights you haven’t been before. If you are beginning to feel fear of having to deal with past hurts and digging up old issues, let me tell you that the devil is doing a good job of trying to hold you captive. Don’t give into the fear but lean in to trusting God and let his perfect love cast out all fear. He loves you so dearly and wants to see you become free! Free from the past, free from all lies of the enemy, free from broken belief systems, and free from unhealthy habits.