If you have looked in the mirror or looked at a photo of yourself and hated what you saw, you're not alone. That image can make us feel shame or embarrassed because if someone saw that photo and thought it looked ugly, it would only confirm our self-doubt.

I was recently interviewed for a podcast and shared a story I didn't intend to share how I hated how I looked in my senior photos my hair was fluffy, I wasn't in a pretty backdrop like the rest of the girls I went to school with. I was in a basement with a ladder wearing carpenter jeans and had braces. I not only hated those photos but for many years I hated the girl that I saw looking back at me. We can be pretty cruel to ourselves, can't we?

As much as I hated those photos, I've kept them for all these years for one reason: That one day I'd be able to look at those photos and show that girl kindness. I'm really proud to say that recently I was able to do just that. I felt freedom and I no longer allowed those lies to be my identity. If you can relate to this at all, I wish for you that same freedom from the lies and the negativity you allowed yourself to be defined by. I hope you take those lies to God in prayer and lay them at his feet. I hope that you can stop being your own biggest bully.