Does your mirror talk to you? Even though we don’t live in a Snow White fairy tale, complete with a talking mirror, I bet you hear whispers when you see your reflection. Some whispers are positive.
My hair looks great today. I’m really making a difference in the world.
Other whispers, however, are colored with fear.
You’re ugly.
You’re a failure.
You’re all alone.
No one will ever love you.
My fear—the one that haunted me when I looked in the mirror—was the fear of being ugly. And on Father’s Day of 2005, my fear collided with reality. Within a 24 hour period, my face transformed from normal to paralyzed as Bell’s Palsy took over the left side of my face. Any last hope of being beautiful was destroyed as the mirror showed a crooked smile and no facial symmetry. I was devastated.
The reality of my distorted face opened the door to even more fears: the fear of what others thought about my appearance, the fear of never smiling again, the fear of my children being embarrassed by my looks.
And these fears stole my joy, my hope, and my contentment. I was bound by my fears. I was in desperate need of being set free.
The door to freedom opened when my husband challenged me to really commit to believe that I was beautiful. And this challenge led me on a Biblical scavenger hunt. I looked up scriptures about beauty and quickly discovered that my thinking was wrong.
Based on treasures I found while searching through the Bible, I decided to start reciting these Biblical truths to myself, out loud, while looking at my reflection in the mirror. And that’s when the transformation began. My thoughts were taken captive as I wrote God’s truth on my heart through this daily practice. I began to see myself as God sees me. And God’s word set me free.
Do you desperately need to be set free from your fears? Here are four tips to help you overcome:
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Remember that fear is not from God. 2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.”
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Go on a Biblical scavenger hunt. Search for scriptures to help you overcome your fear. Type in a word (like fear, chosen, loved) on Bible Gateway and discover who you really are according to God’s word.
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Memorize those scriptures! I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11).
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Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18). One way to give thanks is by listening to Christian music. Two Jason Gray songs that help me fight fear are There’s No Thief Like Fear and Remind Me Who I Am.
There’s no time like the present to really commit to believing truth about who you are. Are you ready?
Heather Snider, her husband Chris, and their two children live in Kentucky. Heather is the Women’s Ministry Leader at Adventure Christian Church. You can keep up with Heather at heathersnider.net and thethankfulnessexperiment.blogspot.com or on Twitter @HeatherSniderKY.