By David W. Argue
The stunning snapshot showed a super model, a woman whose face
had been featured more than 20 times on fashion magazine covers.
To millions, her face spoke perfection … desired beauty.
But on this black and white picture, she made more than a dozen
marks and phrases in bold, handwritten expressions:
Nose? "Not even."
Eyebrows? "Not shaped right."
Smile? "Crow’s feet and crooked."
And on she went revealing how she really saw her face …
and how she would adjust it.
What do you say to yourself and about yourself when it’s
the middle of the night and you are awake with your thoughts?
When you look into the mirror at the end of the day, what do
you see when you see "me"?
Self-concept. It’s not just feeling good about what you
look like or how you just did. That is a rating based on appearance
or performance. Self-concept must go much deeper. Self-concept
is actually central to life itself.
It has everything to do with having peace and joy inside …
but more. It is central to having the confidence to step forward
and minister to others. Self-confidence rooted in your relationship
with Christ is critical in standing strong against the powers
of darkness whose attacks against your soul are bent on keeping
you forever looking inward and down.
What all of us need is not someone to do a surface job on our
self-identity ("My, you look lovely today"). We need
God to do an inside job on who we really are in His eyes. We
need to attach our faith firmly to what He says, and then our
identity can be secure indeed. We must learn to see ourselves
through His eyes.
Agree with God’s view of you, and you will have a self-concept
that is strong and reliable whether you are under the lights
… or alone in the middle of the night.
Before continuing this article, please read the first two chapters
of Ephesians. On the top of a piece of paper, write "Who
I am … God’s view." Jot down as many statements
as you can find about how God sees you. There are at least 30
self-concept treasures in these chapters.
What is God’s view of you?
Ephesians was written to Christians living in the first century,
but its message is to "the church … throughout all
generations" (3:21, NIV), the "family" of God
(3:15). So, if you have come to faith in Jesus Christ and are
living in fellowship with Him, the statements apply to you.
Each statement below is written in personalized tense. For
an extra faith lift, you can say each out loud. Post this in
a prominent place where you can see this truth when you see
yourself. These statements represent your identity as God sees
you. And He has it right.
Mirror, mirror
… What do I see when I see me?