Mirror Mirror On the Wall

You know how some mornings you wake up just feeling all yucky or like "blah".  This morning I was startled by my alarm clock and almost hit snooze when I was jolted by the thought -"I have to meet Ashley to work out!"  So I quickly get out bed, scramble to the bathroom and look at myself and take a warm washcloth to my gunky sleepy eyes. Throw on some workout clothes, bundling up cause its like 45 degrees out- yeah, I'm crazy but when you have people you're meeting to work out with, well, it sorta keeps you accountable and doesn't let you bail ship and I LOVE IT. 
After my almost 2 mile jog huffing and puffing to the finish, we head to the weight room for about 20-25 minutes.  It was good. Got a good 50 minute workout in and head home feeling accomplished, proud and good that I did my body good.
When I get home and look at myself in the mirror after putting makeup on and fixing my hair I still feel "blah".....why do I look like I gained like 10 pounds?And seriously, this mirror isn't returning me any favors. I see all the things that clothes and makeup try to hide.

The mirror only tells us so much about myself. And we know this but yet we spend so much time, worry and effort on how we look in the mirror to ourselves and others. I know this oh so personally.  And I was convicted of my vain heart this morning.  What if I spent as much time in front of the mirror reading God's Word?
"You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me....therefore I lovingly embrace everthing you say." Psalm 119:114, 119 MSG

"Rather it should be that of your INNER self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." or the Message says it like this....
"Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious k ind that God delights in."
I Peter 3:4

All this I know! God looks at a man's heart and not on the outward appearance as man does.  And then I remembered this verse about a mirror found in James 1:22-24

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what is says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away quickly and immediately forgets what he looks like."
James 1:22-24

Man, that was a like a nice slap in the face this morning. Who am I kidding?  Maybe you or those around me, but NOT God.  I look and look at myself in the mirror and worry more about my exterior and honestly, I am just neglecting and forgetting what God's word says about me.

"I am created in His image...."
"I am His masterpiece...."
"For God so loved ME..."
"Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee..."

So mirror on the wall, I may not be the fairest in the land, but I am seriously the most precious gem in God's eye and He has His heart set on me!   When God looks at me, He sees a warrior and mighty woman!

And probably why we shouldn't go by the mirror and what it shows us is because MOST WOMEN don't have a clear/right perception of themselves- it's always tainted with our own views of ourselves and not how God or others see you.  And I say that because when I looked in the mirror today I felt totally fat and blah but honestly I've lost enough inches and have gone down a pant size now. :)  I just shared that with my workout buddies this morning. So what I thought that mirror was showing/telling me this morning was all a lie.  

Let's look at the mirror of God's Word this morning and look into the eyes of our loving heavenly Father to see the mirror of who we are in His eyes.

Sending love and hugs to all my friends and family in the blogging world. :)
HAPPY MONDAY because its a beautiful day that God has made!