Finally I See

Shout out the first 5 words that come to your mind, without pausing, if someone asked you, “What do you think about yourself?” . . . . . How did you find it? Were they all nice, or did you have some bad ones in there too? One of the hardest things in life can be to face your own reflection. To be free enough to say what you really think about yourself. Sometimes it is soo much easier to continue to wear the masks (the false identities worn from the lies we have accepted and become over time), than it is to look in the mirror and see our true reflection… who we really are (Genesis 1:26-27). Michael Jackson sang a famous chorus. Sing it with me; “I’m starting with the man in the mirror I'm asking him to change his ways And no message could have been any clearer If you want to make the world a better place Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.” – Man in the Mirror It takes courage (the quality to face difficulty, danger, etc) ...

Most of the time when we talk about something being valuable ( having importance or use, worth, having qualities worthy of respect, esteem and admiration ), we often connect it with materialistic items; things we can see, taste, or touch. However, what happens if we reflect this on ourselves? Is the value ( worth, respect, importance ) still the same or does it change? What would happen if we pulled up a seat, sat down, took out the imaginary mirror, looked into it, and simply asked, ‘Am I valuable?’ What would your first thought be? What would you say ?  Yes or no ? Would you even respond ? … something to think about. Why can it be so hard to value ourselves? Why is looking in the mirror difficult at times? How can such a simple question be challenging to answer? Is it because we allowed something or someone become the measuring rod for our self-value? Maybe we have let our characters, natures, situations, circumstances, relationships, behaviours, culture, s...

A friend once told me that the definition of the word beautiful is ‘Be You To The Full.’ I never really understood it at first. I thought it was just another silly saying or overused hashtag caught on by today’s youngsters. But oh boy was I wrong! Once I adjusted and re-climatised my thinking to what she said, it simply meant ‘BE YOURSELF’ – warts and all. To truly accept yourself for who you are and never being anything less than yourself. It was quite a hard pill to swallow at first as it deals with the core acceptance of self; not in a vain or selfish context, but in a way that means loving yourself as a person. But let’s face it, this can be very challenging at times. One of my most enjoyed Christian ministries is Ransomed Heart Ministries with John and Stasi Eldredge. Whilst relentlessly scrolling through Instagram the other week, I found an inspirational quote from Stasi: “He made you you – on purpose. You are the only you – ever.” It read as water to my ...