The Distorted Mirror

I was teaching on a healing retreat recently at Ellel Grange and discovered there was no mirror in my room – disaster! One was quickly found for me, but when I looked in it I realised that the surface was bevelled and gave me a very distorted view of myself. It reminded me of the mirrors you sometimes find on the pier at the seaside or in a fairground.

I managed, just, to get my hair organised, but then began to think of the folk who’d come for the retreat and wondered how many of them had a distorted view of themselves. So many of us have our lives coloured by the lies that Satan likes to pour into our ears, through things which are said to us or done to us as we are growing up – things which put us down and make us feel rejected and worthless, but which are a complete distortion of how our heavenly Father sees us.

We carry the pain and hurt, sometimes deeply buried, but we act out of it, causing others to reject us by our behaviour, stemming from the hurt. In this way, we ‘prove’ to ourselves that we are indeed worthless and that we deserve to be rejected.
When God created us He said, “It is good, it is very good” (Genesis 1: 31), and, in the Hebrew, it says that we are ‘fit for purpose’. Please realise that we are created fit for the purpose God has for each one of us, and that He sent His Son to die personally for us, on the cross, so we might enjoy a relationship with Him.

It doesn’t matter what we’ve done in the past, or what’s been done to us. When we come to God in repentance and ask for His forgiveness, (remembering that we have to forgive the ones who’ve hurt us), He pours out His forgiveness like an endless waterfall of grace. It’s constantly flowing for us to receive. It’s almost too easy, and we think we have to earn it – but it’s free. In His sight, we’re worthy, precious, and of incredible value. Just accept that truth, and receive the love that our heavenly Father is offering to us as a free gift.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, You know the struggle I have to receive Your love. Please help me to understand that You never change and that Your love is constantly flowing out to me. Help me to change the negative thoughts I have about myself into the positive ones that You have about me. In Jesus’ name I ask it, Amen.