Who Do You See in the Mirror?

"I am especially fond of you."

God 

(The Shack)

Is that hard to believe?  That God finds you delightful, perfect in every way, and is crazy about you? Or at least "especially fond" of you?  It is true you know, and He would love it if we would see ourselves the way He sees us.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I am very aware that we are all a work in progress and God is shaping us on a daily basis, but He does so because He already sees us complete through Jesus.  Because Jesus lives in us, we need not need to cling to our "old wine skin".  We have been made brand spanking new.  Oh how we are loved.

Lost in the eyes of Jesus we see the depth of His love...so vast, so unfathomable...so electric with color, taste, touch, aroma, and melodic sound.  His love invades all our senses and creates in us an abundance of joy, peace, and love for ourselves and others.  Yes, for ourselves.  And when we see ourselves the way God does, we do not have to live a camouflage lifestyle, hiding behind the lies that we are not enough.  We can have the courage to boldly be who we are.  It sets us free!

I have a husband who thinks I am beautiful on the inside and outside.  He looks through eyes of love at this gray-haired, aging, overweight, apple shaped woman and sees someone beautiful.  It always amazes me.  It is not what I see when I look in the mirror (grin).  He tells me I am strong, courageous, compassionate, loving, creative, and much more.  He sees me through eyes of love and I am so grateful.  I see him the same way.  We always tried to see the best in our children, too, encouraging them to think big, take risks, and follow God's calling on their lives.  We tried to help them realize how amazing they were.  With that being said, I am able to understand more how God sees me.  He looks at me, at us, as changed by the blood of Jesus, and His love IS unfathomable for us, His kids.

So, lets be honest here, how many of us are able to look in the mirror and see someone as awesome as God does............or those who love us.  Can we truly see ourselves with eyes of love ?

When I listened to Wm. Paul Young, author of "The Shack" speak online, he made a statement that for me was quite thought provoking.  He grew up with the Dani tribe in the highlands of New Guinea. The tribe really raised him the first few years of his life because his parents were so busy with mission work.  The Dani language was his first language, so when he went off to boarding school at age 6 he had a shocking realization.  He was white.  He had never thought of himself as white nor American.  He thought he was like the Dani tribe members. He believed he was a Dani.   That experience changed his identity, and how he saw himself.

Jesus did that for us in a positive way.  He suffered and died for us, His Spirit lives in us, and our identity comes from what He has done for us and what He says about us as His beloved children.

What do you believe about yourself?  Were lies whispered over you as a child or an adult?  Do you think you are someone you are not?  I confess, that how I see myself and what I believe about myself is a work in progress.  I still want to camouflage myself at times on the outside and the inside, like the air-brushed photos we see, or the persona we share on social media.  But we can only be complete when we are authentic about who we are............and Whose we are.  We are His kids, and He is especially fond of us.