Beating Ourselves Up

One friend speaks often about how fat she is, and she's not. Another tells me she doesn't feel worthy and it isn't true. Then there's the friend who worries about having too many chins in photographs and I have no idea what that's about. Or the girl concerned about losing more weight before a big event because she's afraid of her pooch showing.

I want to slap them. I want to take shake them. I want to face them to the mirror and shout, "What is the matter with you?! Would you look at yourself?!" Do you see how wonderful you are?

Only when I look in the mirror . . .

Uh huh. I do the same thing.

What is the matter with us? Where does all this self-berating get us? What good does it do?

Why are we able to see the good in others but not ourselves?

It's a sneaky trick. If Satan can keep us preoccupied with our weaknesses, we aren't as likely to put ourselves out there, to shine our light, to shine God's light. If we're consumed with all we aren't, we tend to hide ourselves, and how does that benefit His kingdom?

It's time to rein in those yucky, destructive thoughts about ourselves, friends. It's time to apply truth.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

And that includes thoughts about ourselves. I know it's not easy to ignore imperfections, but why can't we accept things about ourselves without judgment? I'm bottom heavy. Always have been. I can lose weight, but still I carry it there. It's just how I'm made. Why have I spent so many years feeling inadequate because of it? I have big feet too, but it doesn't bother me. Why can't I look at other problems the same way? I have big feet. I'm bottom heavy. My mouth drops open when I sleep. My hair gets bushy in humidity. I'm small chested. Aren't these things part of a unique me? Weren't they placed there with some good stuff too?

Why don't we accept the good with the bad? Yes, I'm bottom heavy, but does that alter my good listening skills? It's true my hair gets kinky and bushy in the humidity, but it doesn't affect my ability to be a good friend. I wish I was more endowed in the chest department, but does that matter when I sit at my computer cranking out words to build others up?

We can't be perfect. God gives us deficiencies to keep us humble, not hold us down. Chances are nobody else is noticing your flaws because they're too focused on their own. Why don't we give ourselves the same courtesy we give others? How about believing the best about ourselves? Why don't we look for our strengths instead of dwelling on our negatives?

Can you imagine what would happen if we would? If we started taking our bad thoughts about ourselves captive, would we be happier? Would we be more effective? Would we enjoy life more?

I challenge you to try it.



Photo Credit: creedbean