A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about labels. It was about how we see other people, and how we often only get to know them within the confines of whatever label they happen to carry. It was interesting to me that, very soon after, this “Real Beauty Sketches” video from the people at Dove went viral. I’ll give you a minute to watch it, if by some miracle you missed it!

When I first saw it, I thought it very thought-provoking, certainly telling about us, as a society, and how much we rely on the thoughts of others as our truth. Then, the controversy started. There was a lot of talk about how it was only done with thin white women, and only a small subset, at that. How it victimizes women, and teaches what it seems to preach against: beauty is paramount (for an in-depth view of the negative issues, go here). Proof, I guess, that there are always two (or seventy) sides to every story.

In my other post, I spoke about what would happen if we looked past the labels and started to see other people like God sees them. And really, I have to pose the same question here, but focus on ourselves. We could debate the validity of this video all the live-long day, friends. But the bottom line is that…

It doesn’t matter how other people see us, even if they put us in a better light than we put ourselves. Our focus needs to be on how God sees us, because He sees us as we will be. If a forensic artist could draw that, IT would be the sheet to tear off the pad and carry with us…in our minds…in our hearts.

If we would just present our self-description to God, then ask Him to rewrite it from His perspective, He would answer. He has answered. We just have to look.

And accept.

And claim.

And believe.

Be thankful, today, that you can look into a different mirror and see your reflection from the only perspective that matters, because, in it, you’ll find real, TRUE, beauty.

“The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

For a printable, comprehensive list of verses that tell you how God sees you, click here.