Dealing with the Woman in the Mirror

Photo by Jayson Hinrichsen on Unsplash

Updated February 21, 2020

At the start of this new year, I pondered about what resolutions to make. Of course, the usual ones came to mind i.e. eating better, working out, making a vision board, and writing out my goals. However, something about these resolutions didn’t sit well with me. The resolution that immediately came to mind for me to accomplish is to begin really “dealing with the woman in the mirror.”

As I reflect on this past year, I'll admit that I had some tough times, and I truly thank God that I didn’t lose my mind. Through these hard times, I was forced to deal with myself and some of the things I discovered I didn’t like. You know, it would be easy for me to point the finger at others for treating me a certain way, rather than looking at my own decision making. And, I’ll admit that in some situations, I made some bad choices and decisions that thinking about them now makes me cringe! Before I go any further, this blog post is not to beat myself up or live in constant condemnation. It is just me being honest.

As women, self-reflection is often not easy for us to do because it can make us feel vulnerable. Nonetheless, it’s necessary if we want to become better women and leaders to empower and inspire others to grow in Christ. Reaching souls for Christ is serious business and should never ever be taken lightly. Before we can truly build others up, we must deal with ourselves. I know that perfection is not possible or realistic. I’m merely trying to reiterate that growing and maturing in Christ and being a disciple are major responsibilities that should always be taken seriously. 

Yet, I’ve realized that some of us and yes, women of God, don’t seem to be taking maturing and reaching souls for Christ and edifying others seriously because of our own spiritual immaturity and bad decision making – myself included –  whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not. In fact, some of us continue making bad decisions that put us in harm’s way, as well as, engage in negative behaviors that can cause others to regress instead of progress in their walk with God.

When I think about the book of Ruth, which is one of my favorite books in the Bible, I find that it’s a great example of what it means for another woman to truly empower the other. Ruth obviously dealt with the woman in the mirror. She also had her priorities in order and was able to let go of the past, no matter how difficult, in order to follow God’s instructions for her life, which included being used as a vessel to empower Naomi.

Although it will not always be easy and I will make mistakes, I, Carla J. Curtis, pledge to make “dealing with the woman in the mirror” a top priority on a regular basis. It’s truly time for me to make some changes and grow up in certain areas of my life, so that I can be all that God has called me to be.