Last week our granddaughter’s school had an Arts Celebration. The school chorus sang, the drama team performed “The Wizard of Oz” (our granddaughter was Dorothy!) and all of the students had artwork displayed in the hallway. The drawing above had my granddaughter’s name at the bottom but I would have picked it out even without the signature. She has large blue eyes, blonde hair often put up in pigtails and a smile that is sweet, mischievous and somewhat dangerous all at the same time.
I am glad to see that my granddaughter sees herself as smiling and attractive. I know her self-image has been crafted by years of affirmation and praise from her family and other significant people in her life. I trust she also views herself as smart, funny, friendly and kind. These are qualities that I see in her. I hope she does too.
I believe most people struggle with self-image in one way or another. There are so many external voices telling us we are too short or too tall, too fat or too skinny, too dark or too light, too smart or too dumb. Many times these voices come from others who are also struggling with self-image; people hoping they will feel better about themselves if they put others down. Other times the voices we hear come from within. Shame and guilt convince us that we are unloveable and unworthy.
The Prodigal Son from scripture is a great example. He strained against the cords binding him to his father until he couldn’t take it any more. He demanded his share of the inheritance he would one day receive and hit the road. When he ran out of money, he ran out of friends and ran out of options to sustain his lifestyle. The Bible says, “He came to his senses.” He knew his only choice was to return home, so he rehearsed these lines to tell his father, “I am no longer worthy to become your son…” (Luke 15:19) What he saw in the mirror was a failed, flawed, unloveable child.
When his father saw him coming down the road that led home, the father ran to his son, embraced him and threw a party for him. The father said, “This son of mine was dead and is alive again.” (Luke 15:24) The father did not see a failure. He saw a beloved child.
Look in the mirror today and hear God say, “This child of mine. You are loved.”
-Dr. Jim Baldwin
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