Written By: Jessica Van Roekel
The face looking back at me runs through the litany of comments….
fatuglyselfishpridefulwoundedgracelessblunttactlessopinionateddominatingcontrollingmanipulativejealous
Mirror mirror on the wall….you are a liar. Or maybe I am the one with the warped perceptions of myself.
I have seen the truth of these words in myself, but also within these words I have seen the lies.
The reality is that I can be domineering. I can be controlling. I can be ugly. I am wounded. I have wounded. I can be graceless. I can be blunt.
But the truth is that my wounds can be used for God’s glory. The truth is that when I wound, I can experience the beautiful gift of forgiveness. The truth is when I am domineering I have the opportunity to submit to the control of my holy, loving, gracious God. The truth is that all the parts of who I am–the good, the bad and the ugly– are all a part of me. And who am I to reject what I see in the mirror? Rather than rejecting the ‘less than’ part of myself what if I were to offer those parts of me up to Jesus and surrender to whatever He wants to do to turn those weaknesses into a strength.
Don’t misunderstand me. I am not giving myself license to be the worst side of me, I am giving myself grace to grow into the best side of me and that side is only found in Jesus Christ. If I am going to grow, then I can expect failures. But failures are not a sign that I failed per se, they become an opportunity to grow in a specific tangible way.
Only in Him can we be our best and if we detect patterns of thought that produce our worst, but don’t hold them up to Him like a child holding up a broken toy and saying, ’fix,’ then I am not submitting to whatever He wants to do to turn those weaknesses or those failures into strengths.
The truth within these words is that there is redemption through Jesus Christ.
Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all….
forgiven onechosen oneloved oneapprovedappointedanointedroyaltyjoy filledsavedfull of gracecovered in grace
What does your mirror say? Maybe you are like me and list off words that tear yourself down. If I could encourage you to offer all that you are to the one who loves you with an unending love, you will begin to see yourself redeemed. And when you begin to see yourself redeemed, you will begin to live like you are redeemed. Join me?
©Jessica Van Roekel 2016
Jessica Van Roekel is a woman on the journey to wholeness through brokenness. She believes that through Christ our personal histories don’t have to define our present or determine our future. Her greatest desire is to see people live this ‘God-life’ with all the power and grace that God provides. Jessica lives in a rural community with her husband and four children. She leads worship on Sundays, but seeks to be a worshiper every day. You can connect with her at www.welcomegrace.com
Uniquely Yours Ministries 