Who's the Fairest of Them All?

Mirror! Mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?

We live in a Mirror! Mirror! world – a world of selfies, Instagram and Facebook; a world of images fixed, filtered, and fake. And yet we believe the lie that everyone is perfect – everyone except ourselves. We do what Queen Narcissa did. We compare. We look to the left and to the right, and hold up the measuring stick. How do we compare? Am I like that girl? Am I better or worse? Do I have what she has? Do I have more or less? And as the reaches of social media grow, our measuring sticks grow – more demanding.

The stress is real. Let’s face it. You cannot constantly look at other people’s filtered and fake lives and continue to think that your own imperfect life is good. Even when we know that what we are seeing is not the whole truth, we still believe the lie. We still pull out the measuring stick and begin to compare. But comparing is despairing, and we end up feeling like we are not the fairest of them all. We end up feeling anxious, depressed, rejected, lonely, hostile, covetous, and even slanderous. Obviously, there is a huge problem with all this measuring, and the problem is that we have forgotten God’s word.

Do you know the account of how David was chosen to be king? God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint the next king, but He didn’t tell Samuel which son it would be. When Jesse’s first son walked up, Samuel knew he was the one. Tall. Good looking. Strong. Surely he is the one, thought Samuel. God quickly corrected him: “Do not consider his appearance . . . Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). What is important to the LORD is not how we compare to others. He wants a heart for Him, not perfect looks. The fact that we would look to those around us and compare ourselves is an indication that we are not looking fervently to the LORD.

I recently visited with an old friend, and I found myself doing the comparison. She is a world traveling business executive. I am a middle school teacher. There were a lot of ways for me to not measure up. She is also very articulate, and I often found myself sounding silly and unable to defend my points on certain topics. “I can’t even talk with style. How do I think I can write? Why do I think anyone will even want to read what I have to say?” I began to think. And then my thoughts went this way: “Maybe I am just wasting my time writing. I think I will just stop. No one cares anyway.” There it was – the shame of not measuring up. That is where all of this comparing leaves us – in shame.

The shame of not as beautiful, not as thin, not as young, not as fashionable, not as loved, not good enough. The shame of remember what you did, remember what you are not. Shame is the reason we feel overwhelmed and underachieved. When we look to everyone else with covetous eyes, we fall victim to shame. But God’s word tells us: “Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame” (Psalm 34:5). The world wants to shame us. The LORD wants to lift us up, make us radiant. We need to stop listening to the lies, and start listening to God’s truth.

Every lie you believe can be countered by God’s truth. Feeling not so pretty? Did you know we are beautiful in our gentle spirits and when we bring the Gospel? (1 Peter 3:4 and Romans 10:15). Feeling unimportant as you grow older? God’s word tells us we have wisdom and faithful instruction to share (Proverbs 31:26). Feeling like you don’t have what others have? The truth is that giving from the heart is more important than having (Luke 21:2-4). We are infinitely loved by God (Psalm 100:5). We are made perfect in Christ (Ephesians 5:27). We are forgiven (Psalm 103:12). We reflect God’s glory, compassion, humility, strength, and dignity when we clothe ourselves in Christ (Romans 13:14, Colossians 3:12, 1 Peter 5:5, Proverbs 31:25). The truth is that when we seek to reflect the world around us, we will always fall short. When we seek to reflect our LORD, we will be radiant and full of joy.

What I realized after comparing myself to my friend is that those lies I felt were the enemy’s tactics to stop me. The enemy does not want me to share the glory of the LORD with anyone. He doesn’t want me to reach out to others. If he can keep me pushed down and feeling shamed, then I will not be shouting God’s praises. If he can silence me, then someone may not hear the encouraging word that will bring them to Christ. Oh! This is exactly the place the enemy would like me dwell. Maybe you are feeling the same way, believing the same kind of lies. Don’t. Look to the LORD!

I love the encouraging words of Isaiah. He says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you, but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you . . . Lift up your eyes and look about you . . . Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy . . .” (Isaiah 60:1,2,4-5). Time and again, God’s word tells us to look unto Him and we will be radiant and full of joy. That’s what I want for me. That’s what I want for you. Let’s do this together.


Dear LORD, You are beautiful. You are radiant. You are full of truth. Forgive us for attempting to find our worth in ourselves and in the world around us. Help us to look to You, for it is then that we will reflect Your glory and shine Your light for others to see. In Jesus’ name, Amen!