Most of my life was spent raising my three
children. I was a stay-at-home mom for 22 years and have been divorced for some time.
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see yourself through God's
eyes or through the eyes of the world? Do you see only your imperfections
and pain? When people laugh at you, do you allow their opinions to color your self
worth? Have you become hard and bitter? If you feel beaten down by the world, remember...in God’s eyes, there is no judgment, there is only acceptance. In
God’s eyes, there is no pain too hard to bear nor weakness that can't be
overcome.
I know what it is like to be laughed at. I have been sick all my life. One
doctor actually said "when God put you together He didn't do a very good job." I
wasn't physically, mentally, or psychologically good at sports, so I was always
chosen last. I never understand the concept of taunting so I took all the
remarks personally which made it even more difficult to relate. I was extremely
thin 5' 6" and 98 lbs. Some how people seem to think it is not rude to make fun of you if you are thin. I didn't develop until I was 17 and in college. Horrifying when you are surrounded by voluminous friends.
I have severe digestive problems which makes me very smelly. My stomach is more like a colon. It is long with a pace maker at each end. So when I eat food it just shoots it into my colon without proper digest. Plus I have Celiac disease and lactose intolerance. All these make tremendous amounts of gas. Funny with friends who love you...not so funny when you are a kid and have no understanding of what is going on...or in church with people who are suppose to be "loving." I have had the most awful things said to me in church.
After my husband left me I was devastated. I was so sick I had blood just pouring out of me. I went to church anyway thinking the fellowship would do me good. A guy near me said " my God no wonder her husband left her." I just wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Interestingly my friend who was sitting right next to me never smelled a thing. Somehow people who love me say they never smell anything. Maybe I am just reacting more to the people who have hateful spirits. My Pastor at the time said this man's smelly spirit was much worse than my smelly body. Anyway, after so many similar experience, I don't attend church anymore. Thankfully, I have a church that has online services.
I know I am not alone. Very few people have escaped the ridicule of others.
We all have to face our own imperfections. When you are overwhelmed by the
person you see in the mirror, see yourself through God's eyes. In God's eyes we
are all the same. God sees you. God cherishes you. God loves you. God sees our
light when all we see is darkness. God sees all our potentials. God
sees this person who falls, but gives us the power to get up again and again.
God sees our pain, but gives us the power to become a person who gets hurt, but
does not become hard or bitter; only softer, more loving, more forgiving, more resilient to
change.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39
Don't Laugh At Me by Mark Wills
I'm a little boy with glasses, the one they call a geek
a little girl who never smiles cuz I got braces on my teeth
and I know how it feels to cry myself to sleep
I'm that kid on every playground who is always chosen last
I’m the one who is slower than the others in my class
You don't have to be my friend but is it too much to ask
Don't laugh at me, don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
some day we'll all have perfect Wings
Don't laugh at me
I'm the beggar on the corner
You pass me on the street
I wouldn't be out here begging if I had enough to eat
and don't think I don't notice that our eyes never meet
I was born a little different
I do my dreaming from this chair
I pretend it doesn’t hurt me when people point and stare
There’s a simple way to show me just how much you care
Don't laugh at me, Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me
I'm Fat, I'm thin, I'm Short, I'm tall, I'm deaf, I'm blind
Hey aren't we all
Don't laugh at me, Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me
March 14, 2011 at 6:10 AM
When someone I love says, "how do I look today",
what in the world could they expect that I'd say?
Because of the Love that God has given me,
when I look at you, His love is all I see.
I see all you've done wrong has all been forgiven,
and all that His passion in my heart now has driven.
I see the hope He's had since the day you were born,
I see the Body Of Christ with which Himself, we adorn.
What do I see when I look with a heart from above,
I see all of the attributes of God's purest love.
There, when I look into your eyes, I can only behold,
all of His deepest compassion, greater than gold.
I see one very unique and beautifully made,
creation of whom... for Christ's life He laid.
By: Preston Pittman. "The Look Of Love"
I love you.
March 14, 2011 at 6:35 AM
Brenda, Thank you for being so transparant and loving as to share your personal struggles with us. Allowing us to share in your burdens, and your fellowship of Christ's suffering, is a love-gift few are willing to share. You are a reflection of His Glory, indeed.