Lately, I hate mirrors. Particularly when I look in a FULL-LENGTH mirror. With one glance, unhealthy emotions of self-doubt and low self-esteem try to weigh me down as if my legs are mucked in quicksand. These thoughts and emotions attempt to convince me that I STINK at this thing called adulting. I feel like I can’t measure up, be or do all the things that are expected. As a daughter, wife, mother, friend, co-worker and most importantly a child of Christ trying to get through the days, I sometimes feel overwhelmed. When I am feeling this way, I seek guidance from the Holy Spirit. With a gentle nudge, I step back and reevaluate how I am seeing myself.
When I feel this way, I am seeing myself with a cultural view rather than a biblical view of self. How I view myself is an important aspect of my self-care routine and must be rooted in the word. This post is the third in a series on Self-Care as viewed from a biblical perspective and will show how seeing yourself as God sees you is essential for self-care.
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How do You See Yourself?
Many people (including me) sometimes find themselves unsatisfied with where they are in life. These feelings can interfere with our spiritual, emotional, mental and physical wellbeing and our relationship with God. He longs for us to have a healthy relationship with Him as well as our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is why the biblical view of self is important and seeing ourselves the way God sees us is necessary for our spiritual, emotional, mental and physical health. It is also important for our soul and essential for self-care. So, when you look into the mirror, how do you see yourself? Do you identify with the cultural view of self? If so, join me and let’s peel back the cultural view layers and re-discovery how God sees us and re-establish who we are in Christ.
How God sees Us
God sees us as Loved
Sisters, God loves us unconditionally. His expressions of love are forever in our presence. God’s love can be seen in an early morning sunrise as the birds are welcoming the day. God’s love can be experienced by taking a walk among His beautiful creation. The true love of God can be felt while cradling your new baby. Every act of kindness, patience, and joyfulness expresses the love of God. Above all, God’s unconditional love was expressed when He sacrificed His only son. Because of his sacrifice, we are saved by His amazing grace and clothed in righteousness. This is AMAZING love.
“And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:24
God commands us to love! (Matthew 22:39) It’s so important we love ourselves as God loves us. Not a selfish and self-centered love, but a true love that parallels God’s love for us. This love fosters how we care for our health and wellness, how we respect ourselves, how we value our self-worth, how we love God and how we love our neighbor. We must accept who we are, where we are and where we are going, even though we may not be happy with the spot we are in at the present time. God has a perfect plan for us. Embrace! When we embrace the undeniable love of God, it’s easier to accept our flaws and experiences in life. Most importantly, accepting who we are is honoring God. When we are following the first two commandments, we are seeing ourselves as God sees us.
God sees us as Appointed
“You did not choose me, but I chose and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit-fruit that will last-and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”
John 15:16
God loves us enough to give us purpose. He also equipped us with grace, wisdom and the ability to witness to those around us. When we respond to His calling, we are rewarded with an abundance of fruit. Our fruits include our character, actions, and decisions that point to Jesus. We are also rewarded with fruit to share. This allows us to reveal Jesus to the people around us. Peeling back the layers of self will allow you to respond to His calling and share the message with the world while reaping the harvest of your fruits.
God sees us as Valuable
“You are the salt of the earth..
Matthew 5:13
There should be no misunderstanding of just how valuable we are to God. After all, our father formed us and knitted us together. He knows how many hairs are on our head and he knows our future. We mean so much to Him, we are given a predestined course for adoption as sisters through Christ. As disciples of Christ, we are to be the salt of the earth, adding divine flavor to the world while creating a thirst for Christ. Most importantly, we are to serve while preserving the good in the world. Sister, what a wonderful privilege it is to be so valuable to Christ. God sees you as salt of the earth. Go out and add flavor while preserving the good in the world.
Jesus knew it would take more than being the salt of the earth to spread the gospel. Because of this, He gave specific instructions to go out and also be the light of the world. We live in a world of desperate times. People are broken, searching for hope and begging for light. Our mission is to shine our light so that others may see Jesus through our good works. Our light and works should not focus on the cultural view of self but should point people to Jesus. Sisters, you have been filled with a spiritual light that will be forever present. See yourself as God sees you, a light of the world.
“You are the light of the world”
Matthew 5:14
God Sees Us as an Heir
It’s a known fact that our God is in the gift-giving business. As a child of Christ, we have been gifted with the Holy Spirit for leadership, guidance, and direction. We have been gifted with an awesome purpose of pointing people towards Jesus through our works. We receive fruits of the spirit, talents, and gifts that can be used as we minister along our journey. Most importantly, He has gifted us with the eternal inheritance of dwelling with Him forever.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. If indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share with His glory
Hebrews 1:2, tells us that God appointed Jesus to be the heir of all things. By denying self, taking up our cross, and following Jesus, we are also sharing in His sufferings. By sharing in His sufferings, we also share in His inheritance. This inheritance will always be present for it is imperishable, undefiled, and will never fade. (Peter 1:4)
Learning to Love the Mirror
” And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more.
2 Cor. 3:18
As you can see, God sees us as amazing heirs whom He loves dearly. We are equipped with many gifts, talents and tools to perform the most important task of sharing God’s love. In doing so, we are gifted with everlasting eternity as well as all that has been given to Jesus to enjoy during our earthly life. It’s a task that shouldn’t be taken lightly. When we look into the mirror, look for the bright reflection of the glory of the Lord rather than what the world wants you to see. Seeing ourselves as God sees us is an important aspect of self-care. It helps us to stay grounded in the truth.
Continue Reading the Self-Care Series
- Self-Care is Essential for the Self-care
- Denying Self
- Seeing Yourself as God See You is essential for Self-Care
- Caring for the Temple
- Bearing Fruit
- Resting in God’s Love
- Eternal Focus
