When you got up this morning and looked in the mirror, what was your first thought? Did you notice imperfections? Did you smile and greet yourself with a “good morning?”

Many of us may fall into the first category. We see the bedhead-hair and sleepy eyes. Yet, how we speak to ourselves first thing in the morning can set the tone for how we see ourselves in the world throughout the day. It can be a critical element to our self-worth, which is our internal sense of being worthy of love and belonging.

I have always been amazed by King David’s confidence. He made numerous mistakes, but he also had confidence in who he was and whose he was, unwavering on the latter.

His confidence didn’t come from a place of arrogance but an assuredness in how God viewed him and in God’s will for his life. If he ever spoke negatively of himself, it was in comparison to God’s strength and power, not in comparison to others.

The man who wrote Psalm 23 was a man who believed so definitively in God’s authority that he possessed a level of self-worth and confidence, lacking arrogance, pride or vanity. Does self-worth matter? As a therapist, of course my answer is yes. Where our confidence comes from, however, is key.

If our worth is defined by others and earthly standards, we will find fault every time we look in the mirror. Subsequently, we diminish his possibilities through his creation: you.

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well.” – Psalm 139:14

David knew that all was created by God and for God. Write these words and place them on your mirror. Tomorrow, when you get up, let these be the first words you see and speak.

Written by Dr. Amy Curtis, senior director of counseling for Buckner Children and Family Services.

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