Fighting with the Reflection I See
I was once told that if something happens in threes you need to take heed to it. As I work as a counselor I see both adults and kids. As I was counseling with one young gentleman last Monday he shared that he did not like what he saw when he looked in the mirror. According to research girls are more likely to be dissatisfied with their appearance than boys, however both boys and girls, men and women can all struggle with their body image, weight issues, physical appearance, or self-esteem.
On Tuesday of last week I met with a young girl and low and behold she too mentioned that she did not like what she saw when she looked in the mirror. Then on Wednesday as I was meeting with another boy at the school the “office space” I use had a large tinted window. All of a sudden a bird smacked into the window. That became our focus. Again and again the bird rammed into the window.
I made the comment that the bird must see it’s reflection and think it’s another bird and is trying to fight it. Then as I spoke I remembered what the two kids had said about their own reflections. I shared with the kid I was seeing about what I had heard others say about not liking what they see in the mirror and that kid agreed with them about himself as well.
The more I thought about the bird flying continually into the window it made me think about how if it just turned it would have been able to fly off.
We as humans sometimes not liking what we see in the mirror end up fighting with ourselves and may not even realize it. Just like the little bird we keep bumping into “ourselves” over and over never turning and “flying high” to our full potential.
In the gospel of Matthew it is written that Jesus told about the greatest commandment to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. This lets us know that we must love ourselves in order to truly love others. If you do not like what you see when you look into the mirror there is a good chance that you really do not love yourself. We are also created in the image of God who knew us before we were in our mother’s womb.
When God created the heavens and earth, the landscape and animals He said that it was all “good.” However, when He made the human race He declared that they were “very good.” Therefore, to not like what you see is basically saying you believe that somehow God messed up on you and that you are not in His image.
Don’t become your own worst enemy and believe the lie that your reflection is not “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Stop fighting with your reflection and gaze upon it. Appreciate and be thankful for it as you look past what society may call a flaw and see the appearance of God.
~TRS 3/19/23
Rays of Hope 