Written by Candace Maxymowich of Winnipeg, MB
“Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”
Simply the famous phrase from a scene in Snow White, right? Perhaps when we look further, there is a deeper connection to our lives than we have previously considered?
It seems as though our culture is consumed with mirrors, places where we look for assurance we are indeed the “fairest of them all.”
“Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”
Perhaps we allow the mirror to haunt our thoughts and steal the contentment God intends for us as His sons and daughters. Becoming a follower of Jesus doesn’t automatically cure us of body image issues. Yes, our body is the “temple of God,” yet, at times we may reduce the idea of being “fearfully and wonderfully made” to having achieved a desired look of skinniness or being ripped.
God has a different plan for our lives. Jesus’ death and resurrection broke the chains of body image, but we have to be willing to let go of them. Let these words sink into your psyche : “So we do not set our sights on the things we can see with our eyes. All of that is fleeting; it will eventually fade away. Instead, we focus on the things we cannot see, which live on and on” (2 Corinthians 4:18, The Voice).
Instead of being concerned only with the exterior, we should focus on the things that don’t show up in the mirror, like becoming more like Jesus in our actions and attitudes. We need to shift our priorities away from sculpting and more towards sanctifying.
Perhaps most importantly, we need to internalize the truth that our “imperfections” remind us to take our eyes off ourselves and direct them to the only Perfect One. We want people to see the immeasurable value given to us by Jesus not the low value suggested by our weaknesses and flaws, but that won’t happen if we allow ourselves to be mastered by the mirror on the wall.
A new school year means new clothes, new friends and old ones, nice teachers and scary ones, a packed lunch and a fresh timetable. As you walk into the doors of your school, remember that when you see yourself and others through the eyes of Christ, the superficial image in the mirror is replaced by the truth of how God sees us, and we become like Jesus – truly the fairest of them all!
…remember that when you see yourself and others through the eyes of Christ, the superficial image in the mirror is replaced by the truth of how God sees us, and we become like Jesus – truly the fairest of them all!
May the God who created you, recreate a spirit of acceptance in your heart. When you look in the mirror, may you see a handcrafted masterpiece, woven together by the loving hands of your heavenly Father. If you are tempted to be weighed down by your perceived imperfections, remember that Jesus’ power and beauty are what really matter, and ask Him to help you live so that others see that truth in you even more.
