The Mirror That Lies

There are days you do everything right - you show up, smile when it’s hard, carry your responsibilities like they weigh nothing.

And still, when the day ends and the mask comes off, you hear that quiet whisper -“Maybe I’m still not enough.”

No applause feels real enough.

No achievement feels lasting.

You stand in front of the mirror and all you see is what’s missing.

It's not pride you’re chasing. It’s permission.

To feel worthy. To rest. To stop proving.

From the Book of Psalms comes a quiet offering:

“You are fearfully and wonderfully made.”

It doesn’t say after you succeed. It says already.

imagine a tree constantly asking,

if it’s tall enough,

green enough,

useful enough,

you’d feel sad for it,

you’d want to say -

“but look at you! You grow! You give shade! You belong just as you are!”

now turn that gentleness inward,

we are so good at seeing beauty in others,

and so poor at recognizing it in ourselves,

but even the moon doesn’t shine perfectly every night,

and we still call it beautiful,

still wait for it,

you don’t need fixing,

you need remembering,

of who you were before,

the world,

told you otherwise!

If you've been trying hard to be enough, let go - just for a moment - of the trying.

You were never meant to audition for worth. You are, simply because you are.

Lay down the measuring stick. Pick up the mirror of truth instead. Not the one made by opinions and comparisons but the one held by your soul.

And if something softened in you, let it stay soft.

No need to respond perfectly. Just breathe a little easier. A wordless nod, a silent yes -anything that feels like home.

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© 2025 Beyond Silence. Written by "the one listening."

If shared, please credit with care.