When you looked in the mirror this morning, what did you see? A person with shortcomings and rough edges? Someone who has a loooong way to go before she measures up? A gal who struggles most days with feeling “not enough?”
You’re not alone, my friend. Most Christian women struggle with the “not enough” epidemic. Me too — for much of my life.
The Harm
So what’s wrong with focusing on your flaws? What’s the harm in seeing areas God needs to “fix” in our lives?
Think with me for a second: When you look at yourself and focus on a trait you don’t like or a place you need to grow, how does it make you feel? Empowered? Brave? Eager for the next part of your adventure?
Yeah, that’s a silly question, isn’t it? 🙂
Focusing on your shortcomings and flaws steals your power. And it redirects your focus, keeping your eyes turned inward on yourself. And inevitably you find yourself lacking. Before long, you may even start believing your “lack” is greater than God’s grace–that somehow you need to be better or do better before He can use you today. And that’s simply not true!
And here’s the amazing thing . . . those disempowering thoughts are never from God. Like literally NEVER from Him!
The Cure
When Jesus died on the cross, He took care of your sin and your shortcomings once and for all. The moment you accepted Jesus, God made you complete in Christ! (Colossians 2:10 NKJV) You became a brand new you with a new heart, a new identity, and new power, just like Jesus has. Now you are literally Christ in you! (Colossians 1:27) And when God looks at you, He doesn’t see failures and mess ups and not-quite-there-yets. He sees the brand new you with Christ in you.
So does that mean all your struggles suddenly disappear? Naw. Does that mean you’re instantly grown up and mature in Christ? Of course not.
What it does mean, though, is that, even on the ordinary days, you operate from a new place. You can be confident in who you are and Who dwells within you. You don’t have to look in the mirror anymore and focus on your flaws and not enoughs. If God doesn’t waste mental energy there, why should you?
Besides, you now have a peaceful assurance that nothing — NO thing– stands between you and God. When God looks at you, He never sees the flaws. He sees you as whole, with His Son in you. Today, you are more than enough in Christ.
I love how Ted Dekker puts it:
Our challenge isn’t becoming more than we are, because we are already risen and complete. Our challenge is to remember and abide in who we are, each day and each hour.
The Forgotten Way
It’s so easy to hear, yet so simple to forget in the moment-by-moment of everyday life.
The Joyful Question
So today, for a refreshing change let’s ditch “What’s wrong with me?” to ask, “What’s right with me?”
And if you and I happen to cross paths today, feel free to ask me that last question. You won’t even have to ask twice because I’ll be the one happily shouting, “Jesus, in all of His wonderfulness!”
P.S. To meditate a little more on how God can possibly see us like this in Christ instead of our flaws, read Romans 8:1-17 (MSG) and Colossians 2:8-15 (NLT). Both of these passages have made a huge difference in how I understand identity in Christ.
