Don't Look Down On Yourself

  

Think about a pair of binoculars...

 

If you choose to look through a pair of binoculars it zooms you in and focuses your attention on the one thing that you happen to be pointing the binoculars towards. However, if you choose to only look through the binoculars you will begin to miss the overall picture. You can become so engulfed by what appears through the lens of the binoculars that you miss the true beauty of the scene unfolding around you. If you choose to simply put down the binoculars the most beautiful scene could be laid out right in front of you.

As you look at a landscape you can decide whether you want to focus on the entire picture and appreciate and bask in its beauty and splendor or you can choose to notice the slightly gray cloud off in the corner of the magnificent sunset or the dead tree in the middle of the canyon during fall. You need to remove the binoculars. You need to push your minds away from the scratches and scraps, the slight imperfections and allow yourselves to enjoy and appreciate the entire scene.

All around the world there are “pictures” or “scenes” that can be described as beautiful. Although some people may have their own personal favorites, no one can really contest which is the most beautiful or captivating. You can look at the night scene of the Eiffel Tower, or the sunset over the ocean. Hiking up to the top of a mountain and watching the sun rise, a waterfall cascading down into a jungle. It could be a quiet stream flowing gently through the dense trees or a small ranch house surrounded by fields of hay.  The same quiet mountain scene in the winter when everything is covered by the falling snow undisturbed by any outside force, or in the spring as the wild flowers begin to bloom and turn the clearing into an expanse of color, or in the fall as the surrounding trees spring into reds, yellows, and gold making the entire scene mystical and captivating. Each of these holds their own special kind of beauty. We love each one and want to see it because it is different.

What if every day we woke up to the exact same sunrise with the exact same clouds, or the trees, flowers, and plants remained the same all year round never changing, and then as the sun went down the same colors painted the sky in the same pattern every night. Although we would find these beautiful and captivating the first several times that we saw them, eventually they would become part of life, they wouldn’t be seen as beautiful because they would be ordinary.  That is what makes a landscape so beautiful and that is why photographers travel all over the world to try and capture the moment. They are beautiful because they are different.

All too often in life we begin to focus too much on our own faults. We allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by the slightest things that we would like to improve about us. If we aren’t very good at singing, acting, playing soccer, or whatever it might be, we allow that to cast a large shadow over ourselves so that we begin to only notice and focus on that to the point that it becomes who we are in our minds. That “shadow” that closes in might not always be talents and abilities that we want to have. We might be disappointed by our personalities, our ability to make friends, or the way that we look. Maybe your teeth aren’t straight, you have acne, or maybe your foot isn’t on straight. Little things can begin to cast large shadows if we let them.

When we allow them to, that is us picking up those binoculars and focusing on the slightest imperfections of the “picture” before us. Why focus on the dead tree or the gray cloud, or the crack in the rock. Zoom out realize that you are more than singing, or sports. You are more than a crooked tooth. Look in the mirror and realize that you are beautiful. Remind yourself “I am as my creator made me and since he is satisfied, so am I.” 

Think about it do you think that Christ looks at you and thinks “wow, she has a zit, or she missed the goal.” NO! He doesn’t realize those things. Christ looks at us and he is proud of who we are and who we are trying to become. He doesn’t care if we have a scar here and there, that is why he came and atoned for us, so that we can begin to heal and become better. Christ isn’t going to judge us by the bumps and bruises rather he will look at us and see the entire picture. He will look at us and see the beautiful young women that we are becoming. Don’t lose sight of your beauty by focusing in on your personal faults or by comparing yourself to others. Each landscape is beautiful in its own way. If it wasn’t it wouldn’t be beautiful. Embrace who you are and what you are capable of, and never let one thing stop you from remembering your self- worth.  You are beautiful, God loves you, and you are important to him. 

As we come to accept ourselves and begin to truly like ourselves, we will be happier and then we can be better prepared to make a difference in someone's life. Because in the moment we accept ourselves we begin to look outward to others and no solely on ourselves.