It's All Good: 12 Devotions to Embrace Your Nowಮಾದರಿ

Kisses in the Mirror

You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you. SONG OF SOLOMON 4:7 NIV

When someone messes up - could be as innocuous as a waiter bringing the wrong dish - a frequent response is, "It's all good." This indicates, “It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m okay. The mistake is not a big deal.” We say it often. Even without thinking. It’s become almost a habit to let each other off the hook. It fills the awkward space by giving grace to move into the next moment while saving face on the one that just went by with a bump.

Quick question: Is it easier to tell someone else or yourself that “it’s all good”? When you mess up, what’s your internal response? Do you let yourself off the hook so you can save face and move on? Or do you use negative self-talk instead? Holding yourself to a higher standard than what you hold for the waiter bringing you the wrong dish isn’t love. It isn’t kindness either. What’s worse, it’ll keep you from enjoying what you want most: a satisfied life.

Embracing your now starts with how you treat yourself in your right-now moments. It starts with your relationship with you. If that’s out of balance, the rest of your life will follow suit. You may know the Martin Luther King Jr. quote: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” We understand this in the context of culture, but what about in the context of you? When you mess up, do you try to fix it with more darkness through negative self-talk? When you look in the mirror, do you radiate love or disappointment? Shining light on yourself and giving yourself the love you deserve is key to living a life you enjoy.

My four-year-old grandson walked with me to the checkout line to put a treasure in “Pop’s” cart. As we walked, he kept stopping. He stopped at every mirror, grinning from ear to ear at his own reflection. After smiling, he proceeded to kiss his reflection in the mirror. With a mirror on each aisle, it took a while to get to Pops, as you might imagine. But with every self-kiss, I smiled knowing that if he can just hang on to that mindset, he’ll be so much further along than many of us.

When you look in a mirror, what do you see? What do you want to do? How would you feel if you kissed your reflection? Consider finding out. It’s important because you can’t authentically love others without loving yourself first. Be grateful for you. When you live with a sense of certainty and assurance that you’re really worth loving and “it’s all good” when you mess up, you can move on and your life will begin to reflect that.

Jesus, help me to love myself from a space of authenticity and grace. Amen.