When you look at your reflection, what do you see? Do you see your flaws? Beauty is more than skin deep. Seeing yourself as God sees you means you look past the flaws into the interior beauty of the heart.

Maybe I’m the only one, but do you ever look in the mirror and find fault with what you see?

How do you see yourself? Do you determine your eyes are too narrow, or your forehead too broad? Your lips too small or your nose too big? Perhaps wrinkles and fine lines have taken up residence under your eyes, at your temples, or around your smile? Recently, my teenage son wrote a post on his #HopeForTheNextGeneration page about his perception of this very topic: Beauty (How God Sees You) 

Do you ever groan about the “spare tire” you’ve accumulated around your middle or the width of your thighs or ankles?

Maybe you bemoan the texture, color, or style of your hair.

Maybe your complaints are on the inside: your tendency to find fault with everything or everyone, your timid and shy nature in a gregarious and outgoing world, or you are more of a couch potato in a marathon-running community.

I’ve been there. Only that’s just the beginning. My mind readily agrees with the whispers that remind me I’m not pretty enough, smart enough, as good as, or worthy enough…

A childhood illness has left me of petite stature and physical deformity with scars that mock me every morning as I dress.

When I’m not careful, those whispers slip in unnoticed, and before long, I’ve agreed with the enemy’s lies; his dictation of who I am, and what I am.

I’m Gorgeous Inside!

Every morning, with few exceptions, I take a nice long walk, weaving in and out of the new day’s sun, considering the day and plans ahead. One such morning, I meandered around a new neighborhood. Praise music rang through my ear buds, as I walked with purpose and determination.

As I headed home, ready to start the workday, I passed a home with a for-sale sign in the yard. But this was not a normal real estate sign. This one indicated the name of the listing realtor and the home office contact information, but hanging below it was a shingle that read, “I’m gorgeous inside.”

The rest of my walk I pondered these words. The home was rather plain Jane and not terribly impressive from the outside. But judging the home from the exterior wouldn’t reveal it’s character, tradition, and potential on the inside. I would never know what it beheld unless I took the time to take a deeper look.

What does God see when He looks at me?

The same is true for people. While there are some stunningly beautiful people in this world, the majority are a mere average by society’s standards. I wonder how often we judge people by the exterior packaging, never getting to see the interior beauty that God sees when He inspects the heart. What does God see when He looks at me? God does not judge our outer appearance, but rather, inspects our heart. “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

I may be shorter than the world’s standard of perfection. And I may be wrinkled and fluffier than I’d like, with many scars from the trials of life. BUT I have Jesus on the inside and God is doing a new work in me to make me look more like Him.

 

Scripture for Seeing Yourself as God Sees You

I’m a work in progress but when my Heavenly Father looks at me, He thinks I’m gorgeous! These Bible Verses describe how God sees you. They will help you see yourself as God sees you.

1. God says I’m created in His image.

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27.)

2. God says I’m a loved child of the Most High God.

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12.)

3. God thinks I am beautiful.

“You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you” (Song of Solomon 4:7.)

4. When God looks at me, He sees the righteousness of Jesus.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21.)

 

Pin this!

Now I’d encourage YOU to look in the mirror and speak out loud to yourself, “God thinks I’m gorgeous!”

What steps will you take today to look past the flaws and see yourself the way God sees you? What are your favorite scriptures that show YOU how God sees you? Please share in the comments.

 

If you want to learn more about your true identity and the way God sees you, you may like these posts on identity:

Whose Opinion Counts: What God Says About You

Who God Says You Are: 17 Scriptures About Our True Identity

Remember Who You Are: 10 Scriptures to Remind You of Your True Identity

How God Sees You: Already Amazing

Because of Him, #HopePrevails

#HopePrevails #MadeInGodsImage #ChildOfTheMostHighGod #WorkInProgress #BeautyIsMoreThanSkinDeep

 

You can also learn more about your true identity by reading Hope Prevails.

A short brief about Hope Prevails.

Hope Prevails
Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey through Depression
Dr. Michelle Bengtson

Speaking from personal and professional experience, a neuropsychologist unpacks what depression is, shows how it affects us spiritually, and offers hope for living the abundant life.

Neuropsychologist Offers Hope to Those Struggling with Depression
-By 2020, depression will be our greatest epidemic worldwide

• An estimated 350 million people worldwide suffer from some form of depression
• Helpful features include personal stories, biblical truths, prayers, and music recommendations

In Hope Prevails, Dr. Bengtson writes with deep compassion and empathy, blending her extensive training and faith, to offer readers a hope that is grounded in God’s love and grace. She helps readers understand what depression is, how it affects them spiritually, and what, by God’s grace, it cannot do. The result is a treatment plan that addresses the whole person—not just chemical imbalances in the brain.

For those who struggle with depression and those that want to help them, Hope Prevails offers real hope for the future.

Hope Prevails is available now wherever books are sold. To find out more, see: https://drmichellebengtson.com/hope-prevails-book/.

 

Pin this!