Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. – Marianne Williamson
“You can’t handle the truth” is a memorable quote from the 1992 military court drama film, A Few Good Men, which is often used to deny someone information that has been considered too sensitive. To a degree, Truth is subjective. Subjective things depend on your own ideas and opinions. I think the worst lies are not the ones told to us by others but the ones we tell ourselves about ourselves.
Here’s something to ponder. Do you ever think about the way you think, wonder why you think the way you think and think other people think the way you think? The voice you hear the most is your own, and it’s on the playlist loop in the studio of your mind. The first person to judge you every day is not your spouse, family members or coworkers; the first person to judge you…is you. You look in the mirror and then go out to meet the day reflecting the reflection you saw in your mirror.
You’ve probably heard the aphorism, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” But we must remember our perception of beauty is subjective. I would add beauty is in the eye of the beholder and will be discovered by the receiver if he can only see what the beholder sees in him.
Zachariah 2:8 says, “he who touches you touches the apple of his eye.” The eyeball, or globe of the eye, with the pupil in center, is called the “apple” from its round shape. If it is threatened, the eyelids involuntarily close, jealously protecting the eye’s vision. The Hebrew idiom for the apple or pupil is, “man,” or “little man in the eye.”
I had an epiphany about this one day when I was talking face to face with a dear friend. I was not only intently listening to what he was saying, I was also gazing into his eyes when suddenly I understood. I could see my reflection in his pupils! I realized the only accurate reflection of myself was in the eyes of the One who saw me before I ever saw myself.
Looking for the good in yourself and in others is not naïve; it’s seeing as God sees. He doesn’t see chaos. He sees and creates beauty out of it. In our culture, when people are introducing themselves to one another after the exchanges of names, the question is asked, “What do you do?” We aren’t what we do. If we are what we do, then when we don’t, we aren’t. Hustling to maintain “self-worth” is a hustle that swindles us out of our truest identity.
When you feel hopeless, the truth about you is you are here for a reason. There’s a plan and purpose for your life, both greater than you can fathom. When you feel unworthy, the truth about you is you have worth and dignity inside you that will never be taken away. When you feel weak, the truth about you is you are stronger than you think. The truth is there is latent power within you that has been waiting on this moment to surface. When you feel like a disappointment, the truth is you could never disappoint Him. To disappoint Him would mean you are capable of doing something He didn’t already know you would do.
Lawless lawyers, sequestered juries, and the indicted are all high profile cast members in our society. Even with the advances in forensic investigation, we still sometimes wonder when the guilty verdict is read, did they get the right person? The greatest travesty of justice does not occur in a courtroom but in our own minds. The most devious prosecutor of all time, “the accuser,” manipulates the evidence to convince us that God is obsessed with incriminating us. When God is indicted, He doesn’t defend Himself. Therefore, we judge Him and find Him guilty of things we don’t understand.
Is it possible we believe our beliefs about God and as a result become like the God we believe in? Remember: the next time you find God guilty, He has evidence that is not so evident to you. Jesus said, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The Truth, His Truth transcends what you believe to be true.
