Over the years I have discovered many talents God has gifted me with, but one talent that I know He didn't plan on giving me was the ability to become an expertise on tearing myself down. We've all heard the saying, "You are your own worst critic," a saying that couldn't be more accurate for myself.

I'll be the first to admit to you that when I look at myself in the mirror, I don't see the good things about myself, but I look at the negatives about myself. And the more time I spend looking at myself, the more I begin to resent myself and my flaws. I begin to listening to the Deceiver whispering in my ear horrible lies and falsities like:

"You aren't actually pretty; so you need to be good at make-up to cover your ugliness."

"You are too fat; so you need to starve yourself."

"No one likes you; so you need to start drinking and partying to have friends."

"You don't have enough talent to be a reporter, so you might as well give up."

I hate to admit it, but I have given into these lies. I once had fully accepted these false lies that the Deceiver whispered in my ear. Because I thought I wasn't pretty enough, I gained the perspective that I had to constantly have my face done or else I was too ugly. I believed that no one really wanted to be my friend or actually liked me so I became depressed. This lead into me finding comfort in food, and therefore I became a victim of bulimia nervosa, a type of eating disorder. I became too critical of how I looked because I always thought I was "too fat" so I shut myself off from the world.

I began to become consumed in trying to win the approval of others or obtain love from them in an earthly matter, when in reality I needn't do that at all. You see, I have a God, an amazing God who constantly is loving me with all my imperfections and that's all that truly matters. And once you realize how loved you are by Him, His love will radiate through you and others will see that as well. None of what others say about you, think about you will start to matter because you now know what Heavenly love feels like and the rest doesn't even make you flinch.

God has made you perfect in His image and His image alone. He didn't create you to get the approval of humans, but to shine and be the light for His glory! You need to begin to realize and understand the loveliness and beautiful aspects of yourself, rather than what's wrong with you. Because what the world may see as your flaws, God sees it as your perfection and your uniqueness.

So the next time you catch yourself looking in the mirror and you begin to hear the whispering lies about yourself, be reminded:

"You are the child of the utmost high King, a princess or prince in your birthright. Therefore making you beautifully, perfectly, wonderfully and loved."