"Stop Dissin' My Best Work!"

What an interesting week I've had. I've been working at my church in a sales position to assist members in previewing proofs and purchasing portrait packages as part of our church directory project.

After the shots are taken, folks come into an adjoining classroom where I click on their proofs which appear as images on a large computer monitor.

All this time, I thought I hated to see my image in the mirror or on film because I was overweight and/or disabled. (Until recently, that is. Lately, I've grown a little too enamored with gazing in the mirror, but I digress.)

We've taken photos of about 75 families, and I have heard only ONE woman who was self-complimentary. EVERYBODY else, especially the women, but also the men, have been incredibly negative about their photos.

"Look at all those chins!"
"I had no idea I had all these wrinkles!"
"Why didn't I get my hair done first?"
"Why did I get my hair permed this morning?"
"My teeth are yellow!"
"I look so old!(or fat)"
"My hair is really getting (thin, gray)!"
"Look at those bags under my eyes!"
"Oh my, look at my lazy eye!"

I sit there clicking on the thumbnails, and I see something very different. Get out! Don't you see what I see? Don't you see how lovely you are? Don't you see that you are beautiful? How can you possibly not find this image pleasing?

It led me to think about God having to hear our negative self-talk day in and day out. I picture him scolding us (in my mind, I hear a thick Brooklyn accent): "Hey you! Yeh! You! I'm talkin to you! What the hells the matter whichya? You're dissin MY work? You don't like what I'VE created?"

God's got a point. He says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Who are we to say otherwise? Why do we think that our opinion (or other peoples' opinions) are truth? Who are we to say that wrinkles, blemishes, signs of aging, disabilities, etc. are "ugly".

I want one person, just one person, to come into that preview room and exclaim, "Look how lovely I am! God sure created a masterpiece when God created me!" (And the less that person is Madison Avenue beautiful, the more my heart will soar that they "get it"!")

We don't honor God, ourselves, or anybody else when we are negatively critical about our appearances. It just fosters and perpetuates the lies.

I'm choosing to live in the truth that I am beautiful. Somebody lovely to behold. My God sings and dances in delight over me. And you. And you. And yes, you.

It's a choice. Choose to believe. (Easy for me to say. I haven't had to face that computer monitor and judge my appearance. I so hope I am able to be one of the people who sees herself through God's eyes.)