POST 18: What’s More Important Than What You See in the Mirror?
POST 18
What’s More Important Than What You See in the Mirror?
I (Kara) am about to share with you something that’s pretty embarrassing.
In ninth and tenth grade, I kept a list of the clothes I wore each day to school.
I really cared about what I wore to school, and I didn’t have a ton of clothes. Plus, I loved lists (and still do!). So I figured if I kept a list of each day’s outfit, I could make it through each week without repeating any of my pants, shirts, or sweatshirts.
I even kept track of whether I wore my white, teal-green, or lavender tennis shoes. (What can I say about those color choices? I was a teenager in the ’80s!)
I’m guessing few (and maybe none) of you reading this are keeping a list of what you’re wearing to school each day. But maybe like me, you’re very focused on what you wear.
Or how your hair looks.
Or your makeup.
Or if you have enough shoes. Or the right pair.
Or the best brand, or fit, of leggings, joggers, or jeans.
Or the perfect cap.
Or how you look in the thousands of photos and videos on your phone.
It’s normal to care about how you look on the outside.
Focus on the Inside
But here’s a question I would ask you—and wish someone had asked me early in high school: In the midst of the time you spend on your appearance, how much time are you spending on your heart? On your character—and who you are on the inside?
In ninth and tenth grade, I gave a lot of thought to my external grooming and little attention to my internal growth.
That changed in eleventh grade. A new youth pastor came to our church, and he invited us to commit to spending time with God every day.
I decided to spend five to seven minutes each morning with God. That still wasn’t as much time as I spent on my clothes, hair, and makeup, but at least it was something.
How did I spend those five to seven minutes? By reading a few verses from the Bible and writing down a few prayers. Something else changed too: I no longer wrote down my outfits. Of course, I still cared about how I looked, but I gave less of each day to those details.
Did I miss some mornings focusing time on God? You bet. Lots. Then I would try to either spend time with God that night or wake up a few minutes earlier the next morning so that I didn’t skip two (or three) days in a row.
To be really clear, there’s nothing magical about five to seven minutes or writing down prayers. I wanted to strengthen my relationship with God and my inner character, and that’s what worked for me. A different approach might work better for you. But regardless of what you do or when you do it, find something you can do each day to focus on the inside and grow your soul.
Let the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be pleasing to you,
LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
Now we see a reflection in a mirror; then we will see face-to-face. Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been completely known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)
REFLECT AND RESPOND
Journaling Questions
In what ways do you tend to focus on your outward appearance?
What could you do as a regular practice to focus more on your inner growth?
Pray This Prayer
God, it’s so tempting to focus more on what’s on the outside than what’s deep inside. Please show me the right balance between paying attention to how I look and growing my soul and character. Please show me what I can do to grow internally into who you’ve made me to be. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Consider how you spent the majority of your time in the past day. How much time did you spend thinking about and working on your external appearance? How much time did you spend thinking about and working on your inner development? How do you feel about your answers? What would you like to do differently in the day ahead?
THE TAKEAWAY
You are so much more than what your reflection shows.