She sat on the bathroom counter gazing at the girl in the mirror.

At sixteen hope of what the future holds should have reflected back stronger than the vanity lights.

Instead rejection shouted louder than the lovely smile that was beginning to fade.

Like a carnival’s Hall of Mirrors, unrealistic images taunted her.

Silent cries of “You aren’t pretty enough”, “You aren’t tall enough, “You aren’t smart or popular enough”.

Emphasized by “You don’t fit in” “You don’t have any friends” and the heart wrenching, “You will never be loved.”

Week after week I hear echoes of this message played out. The scenario may be different and the ages vary (even by decades), but the lies

are shockingly similar.

What causes us as young women to believe distorted images over the reality of what possibilities lay before us?

 

I believe the answer lies in looking beyond!

 

We get distracted by the smudges, streaks and dirt the world throws at us that mar our view.

Like a storm on the horizon, the future can look bleak and dim, even clouded to what life truly holds in store for us.

I found a picture once of a kitten gazing at an oval mirror. In the reflection was a Lion! I kept it taped in my daily planner as a constant reminder of my potential.

If that was the picture we looked to every morning ~ not what we feel like, but what we aspire to be, the smudges, the lies, the “dirt” could be slowly washed away.

Today is the day to begin cleaning those lies away. It won’t happen overnight. And, it will NOT come easy.

(How can it when the world hurls silent accusations at us daily at an alarming rate?)

But, it CAN be done!

We have to choose to look beyond what our present reality is saying and dream bigger than what we see!

Have you ever driven in a dense fog? What do you do differently? Usually you are more cautious, taking care to watch out for every landmark and turn. Why do we steer our lives with such haphazard abandon instead of using the same care when it’s our life that seems foggy?

Let’s be more intentional. Look beyond the hazy present and strategically focus on what potential our future holds!

(I would love to partner with you in this pursuit.)

As our reflection matures so should our aspirations. But age should never dismiss the power of dreams!

Freckles fade and wrinkles form, but a grandmother’s reflection still holds the 20 year old’s heart deep inside.

One of my favorite quotes is attributed to George Elliot;

 

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

 

That sentiment and the Lion’s reflection keep me dreaming, planning and moving forward year after year in pursuit of my dreams.

How about you, What lies do you need to wash away?

What dreams are you ready to pursue?

Gaze in the mirror right now and see your future bigger, brighter & more beautiful than ever before!

 

 

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”    1 Cor. 13:12 (ESV)