Ever look in the mirror and gag at what you’re looking at. Or you could be one of those people who look in the mirror and not be mad at what you’re looking at. There is a mirror I have hanging on the wall in my bedroom and then my bathroom mirror is pretty big. Last night, I was convinced the one that hangs on my wall is a trick mirror.

About three years ago, the Lord put me on a path to learn about myself. Some of it I didn’t like but the majority of what I learned about myself is that I am pretty cool! I will admit that looking in the mirror and being okay with what I saw was probably the hardest hurdle I had to jump. As a woman, I’ve come to the conclusion that we are judgmental about ourselves. I had a conversation with a friend not that long ago and when I tell you she is the cutest little thing ever.. Anyways, we were talking and she told me that when she looks in the mirror all she see’s is this big fat blob but when other people see her they tell her how adorable she is. She couldn’t comprehend why people would tell her that because she can’t see what we see.

Fast forward to last night, I took a shower, put on my night clothes and then as I turned to walk out of my bathroom I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror that hangs on the wall in my bedroom. All I could see is this big fat blob… But when I turned to look in the mirror in my bathroom the image was different. I went back & forth between the two mirrors. Which one was telling me the truth? Was it the mirror on my wall that from a distance I looked gross or the one in my bathroom that didn’t look near as bad.

Then I realized there was a lesson there somewhere. I went back to the beginning when Eve was in the garden. There she was minding her own business when that tricky serpent came about and convinced her that if she ate the fruit she wouldn’t die. In fact, if she ate the fruit then she would have knowledge of good & evil and would be like God. If you want my honest opinion, if Eve would have kept minding her own business then we would all still be living in paradise but unfortunately she took a bite. Not only did she take a bite but then she convinced Adam to do it as well. Though they did not die, the perfect world they lived in did.

I’ve also learned on my walk with the Lord that sometimes the devil makes life look appealing. He too can put things in our path that we can think is blessing from God. For example, look at this shiny new truck with tinted windows, upgraded sound system, big tires and smooth leather bucket seats. Oh thank you Lord for this new truck, it’s so pretty and just what I wanted. But wait! Here is the $900 monthly payment that will force you to have to live in that truck. If it was from God then that payment would be budget friendly and even though it may not be all decked out, it would serve a purpose in your life and get you where you need to go. (Don’t worry, I don’t own a truck or have a $900 monthly payment lol)

That lesson came to me last night as I looked in both mirrors trying to figure out which one was right. Do I go with the image that I feel is correct or the one that made me look like a mess. I know I’m all over the place but try to bear with me as I try to make sense of this for you and mostly for myself. I chose the mirror that made me look like a mess. Why? From a distance, the image was horrible but when I got closer to it the realization quickly overcame me that it wasn’t as bad as I thought. The mirror that was up close looked better but if I kept walking towards it then the image would get distorted.

I’ve stood from a distance looking down the road I call life and would see nothing but hurdles. Those hurdles looked way too big to jump over but the closer I got to them, they weren’t so bad. God gave me the strength to jump over them and I came out better on the other side. Even though I had more to jump over, the Lord made it easier because he got me over the first one. I have no idea if any of this is making sense to you but what I do know is this.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells me this, “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Even though I didn’t like what I saw in that mirror, the image wasn’t nearly as bad as the one that portrayed a perfect image. The perfect image was a complete lie and as I walked closer towards the mess, having the Lord with me made it look beautiful. So know this.. no matter how bad you think it looks, with God in your heart that mess turns into strength. Sometimes we want the easy way out, but there isn’t one. You can’t pray for strength if you’re not willing to work for it.

Once again, I reference that to Proverbs where it tells me in chapter 16 verse 3, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

It’s all going to be okay…