What Do You See When You Look in the MIrror?

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!  Phillipians 2:5-8.

We live three lives:  the person we think we are, the person others think we are, and the person God knows us to be because He made us.

Without a solid sense of self, we’re like a ball of play dough.  We roll through life until all our colors get mixed together then find ourselves with a dull gray identity crisis.  There’s always a tension between the flawed person we know we are, the façade we show others, and the elusive, better person we want to be.

In a spirit of self-reflection, who are you really?  How would a clearer sense of self impact your lifestyle and relationships?  If you truly understood who God made you to be, how would it affect the way others see you and, more importantly, how you feel about yourself?

Being created in the image of God was a benign concept to me.  Nice words hinting at a mysterious spiritual future, but not particularly useful in the struggles of everyday life.  Until I took a fresh look at that little baby born in Bethlehem long ago whose birth changed the world forever.  Jesus the Christ – God in human form.

Jesus’ life is our model for living and explains our purpose for being here.  His sacrificial love – which included dying in our place – guarantees for us a life of everlasting joy.  We, like Jesus, were created in the image of God!  Why would we pretend to be anything else?

Father God, it’s almost frightening to contemplate how wonderfully you made us, how easily we can fulfill your purpose for our life because of your power in us, and how glorious is our future because Jesus lived and died to ensure it for us.  Please defeat our plans and inclinations to be anything other than who you made us to be.      

Sandra Milholland

Abilene, Texas