
This mirror was like a magnet for my eyes. Every time I walked past this particular mirror in my house I looked into it. Without even realizing it, I had made it a habit to “check myself out” every time I walked by.
Before I knew it, I was “checking myself out” every time I walked past any mirror.
This subtle habit was rudely awakened one day during a construction project in my house. My favorite mirror had been removed from it’s normal place…but out of habit, I still looked in that same spot every time I walked by it.
Instead of catching eyes with myself, a blank white wall stared back at me. After several instances of walking past this white wall and glancing in the same blank spot, I suddenly realized what was happening.
I had made it a constant habit of checking myself out in the mirror every time I walked past it!
I had grown to love looking at myself a little too much.
My eyes were suddenly opened to the fact that I didn’t just “check myself out” in this particular mirror…but almost every mirror I walked past. My habit came alive that afternoon as I walked around my house and noticed how often I started at myself in every mirror.
And to be honest…it was way more than I’d like to admit.
As time went on, I started noticing other girls doing the same thing I did. I saw several girls inconspicuously “check themselves out” in a public mirror for 5 minutes straight. I wasn’t alone in this habit of self-admiration.
I have a feeling some of you can really relate to me on this topic. If you’re not sure if you love looking at yourself a little too much, here’s a good gauge.
3 signs you love looking at yourself a little too much:
- You “check yourself out” every time you walk past a mirror.
- You stare at your face and body so much in the mirror that you can identity every single teeny weeny flaw and blemish.
- You view yourself as either a super hot babe – or – you view yourself as an ugly and unattractive girl.
Those signs aren’t foolproof, but they’re a good gauge to help you discover how much you love looking at yourself in the mirror.
I don’t know about you, but for me, my mirror obsession revealed something much deeper in my heart.
I qualified for every single one of those signs (and on number 3, I juggled back and forth from feeling like hot babe to feeling unattractive…depending on the situation).
All in all, my mirror obsession revealed a heart that had grown to love myself way too much.
And you know what?
The more I stared at myself in the mirror, the more self-focused I became.
Then, the more unhappy I became with my outward appearance. The more I looked at myself, the more flaws I noticed, and the more ungrateful I became towards God for the body He gave me.
If your eyes are constantly drawn toward looking in the mirror, you probably struggle with the same heart issue that I did (and still do regularly!). And you know what the root struggle is?
Pride.
Pride is revealed in a heart that is obsessed with with self more than is interested in God.
One of the definitions of pride is described as, “a person or thing that is the object or source of a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction.”
Yep! That was me. I was finding way too much pleasure and satisfaction in staring at myself in the mirror.
My love of self was clearly rooted in a self-focused heart of pride. And this self-love was revealed by how often and regularly I stared at myself in the mirror. As I studied God’s Word, I started noticing how clearly anti-God pride and self-focussedness are.
Proverbs 16:5 says, “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord.” And James 4:6b says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
How about you? How did you measure up against those 3 signs? How often do you stare at yourself in a mirror when you walk past it?
If you’re anything like me, you may need to confess your own heart of pride to God as well.
I encourage you to examine your heart and ask God to show you areas of pride and self focusedness that are replacing your love and adoration for HIM.
He alone is to be praised. He alone is to be admired. He alone is to be worshipped.
And trust me – if you seek Him with a sincere heart of humility on this issue, He will reveal your pride and help you humble yourself before Him.
Let’s chat more about this below!
- How often do you catch yourself staring into a mirror when you walk past it?
- In what ways can you relate to the 3 signs I mentioned above?
- How has your heart strayed from loving God, to loving self a little too much?
Photo Credit: Here