Each day we wake up and look in the mirror. Let’s admit it, we all don’t love what we see first thing. For us men, it’s an unshaven beard, bags under our eyes, hair going in every direction – if we still do have hair. For women…well, I’ll let you fill in the blanks. I’m not going to.
But when you look in that mirror, what do you tell yourself? Before you’ve showered, shaved, had your coffee…what state of mind are you in? What’s going through your mind?
Do you celebrate what you see? Do you praise God for what he’s made?
Or do you feel overwhelmed with regrets? Wish you were someone else? Get stuck in a game of comparisons?
It’s so easy to fall into that second category. I get it. Over and over again in the Scriptures God tells us he loves us. Unconditionally. With that flab you’ve always promised you’d work on but is still hanging around. With those gray hairs. With that crippling self-doubt. With that bank account that doesn’t match your neighbor’s. With that job you feel like is a dead-end.
In all of that, God loves you. He loves what you are and what you’ve made of yourself. He’s happy!
But many times, we aren’t.
This weekend we looked at what it means to welcome ourselves. That’s tough. We are around ourselves 24/7. We can’t escape it! We know every mistake we’ve made, every thought that’s gone astray, every decision we wish we could take back. How can we really welcome ourselves in that atmosphere?
To answer that, we took a deep dive into Psalm 139. It’s a great psalm. Go read it for yourself right now if you want to get acquainted with how amazing God thinks you are.
You are awe-inspiring and amazing!
You are ordained to do something great!
You are known by him!
You are all of those things and more. But we don’t always feel that way. In fact, some of us get so down that we feel hopeless and helpless. We start to think that there’s only one way out – a path through self-harm that leads to suicide. That’s a tough word, but for those of us who face this type of depression we need to face it.
What do we do when we start to feel that way? I am not a counselor, so I can’t give professional help. But if you are feeling like the only way out is death then here are some things to keep in mind.
- Reach Out
Find someone to talk to who will listen. If that next person doesn’t seem to care, please find someone else. Pick up the phone, shoot out a text, call someone close. Let them know you are hurting.
- Do What You Love
Get involved in a hobby or activity that feeds you. This isn’t to ignore the problem or hope it goes away. It’s to feed your soul. To give you life through what you love.
- Put Around Others
These lies we tell ourselves only grow in isolation. I understand if you feel like you’re an introvert, but even those of us who are “homebodies” still need someone close.
- Get Help
Call a help hotline. Sign up for counseling. Go to the hospital. Understand that the problem may be bigger than you, but that there are others who would love to help you. Seek that help and accept it.
You are more loved than you can ever imagine. Your life matters – to me, to us, and to God. Sometimes the first step in welcoming yourself is admitting you don’t have it all together. The next step is starting to get it together by getting help.
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