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Who doesn’t remember picture day at school? The goofy smiles, the awkward pose, the funny hair. No amount of posturing and “practice smiling” for that yearbook photo seemed to help. And then, two weeks later, you were handed an 8×10 envelope with the cellophane window and your face on display.

It didn’t matter the size of the prints, I always wanted to lose them on my way home . . . but someone might find them. Safer to hide them in my room or throw them away. Today, the only photos of ourselves we can’t photoshop is our driver’s license!

The other day, Allie drew a picture of me. In it I have long stick legs, a tiny face, and what looks to be a beard. When her mom asked her to explain what she drew, this is what she said: “Nama has long legs; and the lines on the face are ‘stripes to be old'” (#nofilter #ohmyallie).

Children tell the truth. The best part of Allie’s drawing of me was that I was smiling. And when you get down to seeing yourself through your granddaughter’s eyes, I guess that is all that should matter. I was smiling at her.

How we see ourselves—who we are and what we’re really like—plays a vital role in how we relate to the other people in our lives. What we don’t need are more gauzy, filtered photos of ourselves. We need the accurate mirror of God’s Word.

Paul tells the Galatians, “Let’s not become conceited, provoking and envying one another. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else” (Galatians 5:26, 6:3–4).

That word conceited comes from a word that literally translates: empty-glory. The Old King James Version of the Bible translates it as vain-glory. We would use the word vanity, or just plain old vain. We’re all “empty of glory” because of our fallen state as sinners. We all suffer from vain-glory to one degree or another!

Maybe you would never think to classify yourself as vain because you don’t feel superior to anyone! As a matter of fact, you may think you’re pretty much a loser with a capital “L” but bear with me please. The Scriptures tell us that, while inferiority and superiority vary differently to us, the root of both conditions is found in the same toxic soil of conceit. Apart from Christ, our natural state of mind is selfish, me-centered. This plays out through attitudes and actions of competition or envy. We compete if we think we are better and have something to prove. Always “one-upping” and trying to prove we really are something. It can even become a way of bullying people. At the root of these actions, you will find a person who is struggling with empty-glory.

Another way we show our conceit, our empty-glory, is by envying and jealousy. We may resent someone because of their popularity, or opportunities, or beauty, or talent, or wealth.

People have always struggled with such feelings and sins; but today, with social media at our fingertips 24/7, the more we see, the less satisfied we become. And the more we try to compete, the more we grow discouraged and discontent.

Who are we really? Again, God’s Word is the great leveler! We are told that in Christ, we are His beloved child, His heir, and we are clothed with the beauty of Christ Himself. We are loved by the only One in the Universe whose love really matters and whose love we could never ever lose. We are rich beyond our wildest imagination!

But we are also more sinful and capable of every sin. We are desperately lost without His mercy and forgiveness; therefore, we better not look at anyone with disgust and superiority.

Greg and I had an old bathroom scale that was very accurate when the dial was adjusted to line up with the zero. But from one day to the next that dial would get thrown off, resulting in inaccurate readings. One day we were too heavy, and the next day we were too light! So we got in the habit of always lining up that dial to zero before we dared believe our eyes. I suggest that every day, sometimes many times during the day, we return to the accurate scale of God’s Word. Let it fill your mind and speak to you. Let the Holy Spirit make the adjustment you need to see your true identity.