Identity Theft: How To Restore Your True Self-Image

Four Mirrors That Direct Your Identity

•The mirror on the wall is where you view your reflection, which summarizes who you are as a person. It is your own personal perception.

•The mirror of other people’s opinions is what reflects back to you; it is how other people see you. It is how they perceive you from the outside.

•The blackened mirror is like a black hole that you peer into, and what is hidden within is not visible. It contains the wounds, pain, and rejection messages that have defined your identity. They are hidden inside of you where no one, not even you, can see them; however, they control how you view yourself.

•The mirror on the ceiling is God’s perspective reflected back to you. It shows your true identity, worth, and your perfect design created by God.

From the day you were born, you have received millions of messages that put labels on you and built your current belief system. Your identity and perception of self, your value and capabilities, and your expectations or willingness to settle for less was formed through the messages that developed into core beliefs or mental strongholds. Your life experiences have influenced how you see yourself and have shaped your beliefs that form your choices and behaviors today.

When you believe something to be true, your mind sifts through all the information that you have received daily, and everything is sent through this filter to form a perception. You hold fast to messages that agree with that belief, and reject messages that do not. The belief then becomes more and more embedded in how you perceive yourself. Day after day and year after year, you develop the original message into a massive cognitive distortion, or mental stronghold. At the center of these messages are the faulty core beliefs that must be identified and torn down so that you do not respond in agreement to them daily.

Your identity and perception of self are often the root factor in emotional issues such as depression, anxiety, and anger. Your perception of self promotes unhealthy habits like abusing alcohol, or other substances or events, in an attempt to meet your needs and mask how you feel about self. Sometimes you feel victimized by your past, and define your personal identity as a victim. This is quite contrary to the biblical image of an over comer.
When you begin to evaluate the messages you’ve received from your experiences, you will see how they helped to shape your identity. You will discover messages that you have embraced unknowingly. They may have been messages about what to expect in relationships, what life taught you in regard to coping and communication skills, or what appropriate boundaries look like, to name just a few.

It may be in a few or many areas that your perspective of self was harmed, but you can transform the marred portrait of faulty identity. Many of you have distorted self-images that developed from childhood. Your agreements with your life experiences have colored your inner self portrait; however, the inaccurate picture you inherited from negative influences in your life can be changed! Although your identity may be deeply rooted in your subconscious mind, there is hope that you can receive a new, true identity.
The world preaches messages to you from all forms of media. Culture defines your value by wealth, beauty, your weight, education, and accomplishments. Your great value with all of your shortcomings can be summed up in Romans 5:8. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”3 So what messages have you heard and embraced?

You can improve your perception of self and choose to believe good things, even if those were not the messages you received from family, community, or peers. Challenge negative expectations by re-framing your thinking to perceive yourself differently. These thoughts and beliefs will change the way you interact with the world, your relationships, and yourself....