June 1st - Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

I know you KNOW it's not morning any longer and you KNOW I am late sending this out but you need to KNOW that I am not being a slacker. :) I have been busy, busy and unable to write. But I have a window and want to communicate before I close things down for the weekend. As I was meditating over our group this morning, I felt the Lord speak to me about how INFREQUENTLY we really feel we did something right and what bondage that is! Most of the time people are quick to see fault in almost everything. There is a TIME to see even the smallest issue - the foundation of a mighty building skewed, one malignant cell, money drawn from your account from someone unauthorized. Yes - we pray for that "eagle eye" as it is critical to survival. And when we spot those things - we move to attack mode. Don't we? But how many of you KNOW that not everything needs a critical eye. It's okay to try on a bathing suit and blame the MIRRORS for making you look a wee bit chunky - especially if you haven't been moving the boundaries daily. :) It's okay to laugh and grab another swim suit and it's OKAY to go home without one. You don't have to stand in front of the mirror and slap yourself - like that helps - or proclaim "I HATE standing in front of the mirror. I NEVER look good in clothes." I lived there - I NEVER tried anything on in the stores because it lead to moments of INTENSE criticism of myself and then a quick journey to the doughnut shop for comfort. But, I always blamed it on a lack of time. It's OKAY to believe in yourself and give yourself credit when you've failed and understand the power of TRYING AGAIN. It's okay to realize that failure is a part of life and sometimes so is constructive criticism. It's okay to remind yourself that you missed the mark - but too much of that leads to negativity and depression and SO MANY people are caught in that trap. And, that's NOT OKAY. None of us can escape our reflection forever - but we CAN change our response to that reflection! If you are doing everything to be healthy, and you KNOW that you are not moving the boundaries to allow for compromise, and the mirror is STILL lying - deal with the mirror. :) I find stores who have favorable mirrors that tell the truth and all my clothes come from there. (just sayin) But the real truth is - God is not sitting in Heaven being critical of us! Sometimes I wonder if He is saddened by the way we feel about ourselves as HE CREATED us? I wonder if He sees that we are being CRITICAL of His best creation? Have you ever poured your heart and soul into a project and then have someone criticize it??? I have - it's devastating. I wonder if God feels those emotions when I criticize ME - the work of His hands - a daughter he adores. Being critical is a CHOICE. Speaking life to yourself is a CHOICE as is choosing healthy foods. As I said in the beginning, God wants you to know today that He fashioned you, never criticizes you and loves you more than you have words to describe. So tonight as you read this and over the weekend - let's all promise to speak well of ourselves and not be SO FAST to criticize. There are plenty of GREAT things about each of us to celebrate, but often we are so busy criticizing we can't see them. And, when we look into the mirror, let's all WINK at God's best piece of art and not allow our own critical judgment to taint the reflection HE WANTS US TO SEE. PK