Have you ever had those moments where you’re looking at yourself in the mirror wondering so many things about yourself? Perhaps critiquing your own actions and even bringing down the hammer on how you could be different or better? Or maybe this exchange happens while you’re on your way home from work or lying in bed trying to sleep, but the fact remains that it’s so easy to attack ourselves. Personally speaking, I spend way more time putting myself down with my own thoughts than speaking words of encouragement. But I would not dare to speak to my mom that way! So why is it so easy to condemn myself?
The creation story in Genesis tells us that we bear the image of God. Made like Him, to be His family. Ephesians 2:10 says that “we are God’s masterpiece,” as a matter of fact, and every time we throw ourselves under the bus when we self-reflect, we insult the part of ourselves that was made in God’s image. Sure, no one is perfect and there will always be aspects in each of us that must be pruned, but if Jesus wouldn’t be demeaning to us like a disappointed manager chastising his subordinate, you shouldn’t do that to yourself either. I promise that you’re your own worst critic; next time you find yourself pointing out the worst things in yourself, take time to find the best things too. Thank God that He makes us even better when we spend time with Him.