How I Picture Myself

I wonder if you might have a favorite photograph of yourself. If you are like me, I'm not always pleased with how I look on film. I see the image captured by the camera and think, "That's not me. That's not what I look like, is it?"

I have a mental image of myself, don't you? Unfortunately, reality doesn't always measure up to my mental expectations.

I have another mental picture of myself, however, and it doesn't have anything to do with my physical appearance. I have a mental picture of my character and the quality of my relationships, of who I am and what I believe and what I stand for. We might say that it's my spiritual self-image.

Unfortunately, the real me doesn't measure up to my spiritual self-image any more than photographs do. A spiritual snapshot of my life reveals a person who falls short of his ideals in so many ways.

There's not a lot I can do about the disparity between my mental self image and what the camera captures. I have to work with what nature and my parents' genes gave me. But there is something I can do about the discrepancy between my spiritual self-image and the way I live. I can change.

Many of the problems that we create for ourselves arise when we fail to live up to that spiritual self-image. A lot more people say to me, "Chaplain, deep down I knew it wasn't the right thing to do" than say, "Chaplain, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

Who is that person you picture yourself to be in your best moments? Who is it that you wish you become? May God give you the grace to live just a little more like that person you envision yourself to be.

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