You feel the familiar knot form in your stomach as you look across the room. Nobody has to say a thing for you to hear the voices start whispering to your soul. “Look at her.” “Why can’t I be like that?” “I’ll never have it all together the way she does.” “Her children, husband, house, or outfit (fill in the appropriate blank) are so perfect.” “I wish I had her life.”
There is an old saying that contains some very wise words: Don’t judge your insides by somebody else’s outsides. I am not sure where the thought originated, but the truth of its words resonates loudly in my heart today.
When I look at others, I see life from the outside. I don’t see most of you before you take a shower, before make up, or before your first cup of coffee. Most of us manage at least a bit of spit and polish before we face the world. But “before” is when I see myself. I know what I look like unmasked, unprepared, and unpolished. I know the truth behind the cape I try to wear, the smile I hide behind, and the image that I try to hold together. That is when the whispers start. Whispers that shout of inadequacy, fearfulness, and doubt. When I measure my insides by somebody else’s outsides, I will always come up short.
God calls us to look at others and ourselves with different eyes. “For the Lord sees not as a man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b) Standing around the cross, we are all grace-covered, mercy-drenched, love-soaked sinners saved by Jesus. We all need. We all fall short. We all struggle. We are all loved. We are all claimed. We are all in the process of being transformed.
My Jesus Resolution today is to look at others from the inside out. I want to offer kindness to the hurting. (We are all hurting.) I want to extend peace to the fearful. (We are all afraid.) I want to hand out hope, give away joy, and open my arms in friendship. (We all struggle, weep, and feel lonely.) I don’t need to compare myself with you, nor you with me. Uniquely made, deeply loved, God empowers us to be exactly who He created us to be in Him.
Casandra Martin 
You do all that, Casandra, as you look like Jesus. Also, as you bring us a clearer understanding of God’s plans for each of us. Keep up the good work and be good to yourself. You were bought at such a price! Love you.