I look in the mirror, and I do not like what I see. The labels of failure, loser, outcast, and idiot all whirl around inside my head. Do you ever have days like that? I’m talking about those days when we do not feel like we measure up. We find ourselves comparing ourselves to those around us. We don’t feel as well put together as the people we see and know.
If we try to cover up these feelings, we sometimes forget they are there. However, the symptoms remain. We may find ourselves with a short fuse. Perhaps we are prone to depression or feelings of hopelessness. Maybe anxiety rears its ugly head, and we start having panic attacks or are so on edge that we cannot function well.
We cannot move forward in freedom from such bondage while all we can see in the mirror is something we do not like. Our best efforts to do so will eventually prove to drag us further down. We can hide and pull away from life and others. We can do the opposite extreme and strive hard to earn people’s and/or God’s favor. Either way, we do not find what we desire and need.
What are we to do? First, we need to acknowledge something important. We all believe lies. To deny this is to keep ourselves in the bondage that is strangling us. Yes, no matter how religious we are, how “successful” we have been labeled, or how well mannered and socially acceptable we may be, we all fall victim to believing things that are simply not true.
Once we are willing to acknowledge that we are susceptible to false beliefs, we need to be open to seeing what they might be. What do we REALLY believe about ourselves? What do we perceive of our reflection in the mirror? Who am I? How do we view others? The way we view others often is a reflection of how we see ourselves. And finally, what do we think of when we think of God? Who is He? What is He all about? How does He feel about me?
The most destructive lies that we believe rotate around those three areas: view of self, view of others, and view of God.
Today, I am praying for myself and those reading this. I am hoping that we can accept one truth if no other right now. We DO wrestle with false beliefs about ourselves, others, and God. We DO struggle with believing truth. We are being lied to, and sometimes we are the ones keeping that lie going by continuing to believe it.
I plan to write more about this later, moving on to another part of this journey of finding freedom from the lies we believe, but more importantly finding the freedom to move forward in the reality of who we are really, who God truly is, and loving those around us well.
-Neil
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