:: be kind to yourself

{my little love and i}
photo property of DramaticElegance

they used to believe that a photograph captured a piece of the soul. with every flash, a part of the person was absorbed into the image.

sometimes i think that's still true. only in part, of course, for i know where my soul stays unwavering. but part of me pulled into the image...yes, i think i could believe that. because i judge my face in the mirror and the camera is a mirror of sorts, a mirror that freezes moments in time.

and i don't always like those moments.

:: be kind to yourself
the note on my mirror reminds. four little words that might be the hardest ever to swallow. but i have to be kind to myself, for my little one's sake. because she's started holding out her arms to me, five and a half months old, and already she silently calls for her momma.

and i know that soon enough she will be speaking, because she's already listening. and she reaches up her hand each morning with sleepy eyes and feather-soft touch from the bed we share and coos love to me.

she loves my face.
why don't i?

i have to learn. so i wrote the note in my best handwritting, the letters composed in what my friends call a fairy language, a love message to myself. because i have to learn to love myself before my little girl sees that i don't, and learns to hate herself the way i still do sometimes.

{via pinterest}

so i'm learning to smile for the camera, learning to reach out a hand toward the feral, frightened kitten that lurks under the porch. we need to make friends, she and i.

there's a promise written, one i will one day have tattooed on my skin like the Lion on my left wrist.

the King, your King, is enthralled by your beauty.

honour Him, for He is your Lord. 

::psalm 45:11

there is a King, mighty and righteous, a roaring Lion and a sacrificed Lamb. and He is captivated by me.

so for my little girl, i will learn to look beyond the mirror and into the soul the camera can't quite capture. the one He holds in the palm of His hand, the one He finds beautiful and worthy, covered in His blood.

Lion of Judah, enthralled by me.
oh, how can it be?

Mirror/Reflection

Appearances are not held to be a clue to the truth.  But we seem to have no other.  ~Ivy Compton-Burnett

Reflections are tricky things. It honestly all depends on the medium we use.

If we chose to seek our reflection through the smooth surface of a body of water, we will find that we look more than different...

...distorted features, easily broken by a dropped pebble or the touch of a finger. 

What if we pursue a less easily disturbed method of vision, such as a polished piece of mirrored glass, or even a storefront windowpane?

...dirt and grime can thwart our purpose, and we may not even understand or enjoy what we see. 

For so many, reflections are our greatest enemy. 

In them, we do not see our greatness or our beauties. Instead, we bring emphasis to our multiple flaws and microscopically examine ourselves to yet another detriment to our self-esteem and self-worth.

I am not what the mirror says I am. 

Seeking our only reflection in any sort of clear surface is nothing if not dangerous...heart-breaking...discouraging.

We need to stop looking down into puddles to catch a glimpse of what we think we are...

...we need to gaze upward toward what He knows we are. 

Our reflections on this earth are dim and deceitful. 

It is in Him that we see ourselves in truth...

...beautiful, precious, beloved daughters and sons.

When the world sees me, they should see Him.

I want to stop looking into the dim mirrors of this mortal plane.

I want to become a clear, shining reflection of His glory.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. ~1 Corinthians 13:12

(Don't forget -- today is the last day to enter July's Inspired Monthly Giveaway! Giveaway closes at midnight CST.)