It may be time for a facelift. Oh yes, my face is showing the years in the mirror as I notice the sags and bags that didn’t seem to be so obvious in the past. But a facelift?
It’s not something I’ve considered for myself in the past but the face staring back in the mirror screams it needs something fresh! Then I go down the thought spiral that it’s not just the physical face I see that needs a tune-up, but I step back and see my whole body. WOW, does it need a bit of a clock rewind as well!

Before I get too far down that road, I try to grab hold of my thoughts–maybe I just need to step away from the mirror and ignore the whole thing, I mean, there isn’t too much I can do about it anyhow–oh, I can follow the healthy lifestyle habits of exercise and eating right but that most likely will not erase decades of life experience.

I’m sensing a humble reality in this-I shouldn’t look like I did years ago. I’m not the same person. None of us who live & breathe are the same people from moment to moment. Each moment we change-sometimes an improvement, sometimes nothing noticeable but sometimes a step in the wrong direction. It’s the wrong direction I find myself visiting too many times. Ever find yourself in this situation?

The wrong directions are detours in our journey. Maybe it’s not a major detour-but a detour in the wrong direction nonetheless. A harsh word, an angry outburst, screams to the kids or thoughts that should never be put into words.

The haggard look in my face may be a reflection of those bad decisions and reactions. I strain to see the laugh lines-oh they are there but I tend to focus on the tired and worn down look more than the evidence of laughter. Why would I do this? Why focus on the negative like sags and bags instead of the positive like proof of laughing?

I drag myself down this road of beating myself up-again. I look rough because of a life of rough times—many due to poor decisions but some dark places are just stops on the path I’ve walked. I tell myself perhaps a facelift is a good idea—to erase all the signs of strain, exhaustion, long & hard days. But will that really make me different? We all know it won’t. I may look different on the outside but really, it’s a ‘perspective lift’ I need more than a facelift.
Erectile dysfunction drugs levitra on sale are effective and allow you to have spontaneous sexual activity. You may loose interest in sexual cialis on line activity due to problems like insomnia, diarrhea, headache, agitation, itching, nervousness etc. She focuses her practice on representing clients before regulatory agencies, such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Food and cialis low cost Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Essentially levitra sample any and all body parts will undergo this build up of harmful residual material.
I wholeheartedly thank the Father for my blessings. Having experienced some deep waters in life, I admit it has made me more thankful than I ever thought I could feel. I’m sure we’ve all been through some harrowing times. So how do I resolve this facelift concept and longing to not look so…well, bad?

I pray for perspective and one word swells up in my heart: focus. What do I focus on-what should I guide my thougths toward to combat this worn down face in the mirror?! Focus on the things that truly matter-the permanent look I’ll be facing in eternity.
My face is beautiful to the Father. The lines, bags and sags are old and ugly to me. To Him, perhaps these are precious souvenirs of my growth. Sort of a memory book to remember how I grew closer in that struggle, how I discovered His deep love or felt a pinch of the vastness of His wisdom in that instance. Of course, God doesn’t need a memory book but it’s a parallel that helps me to try to understand.

So I forget the facelift. I try to think of the evidence staring back at me as something to treasure and be thankful for. Oh, this will be a daily struggle I know! But to try to focus on the truth and the story behind those lines gives me a better perspective—one of hope, redemption and a future. Oh the face and body don’t look the same as they used to—but I’m not the same person I used to be either (and neither are you).

Thank you Father for not giving up on me during this journey and giving me a fresh & beautiful perspective-even if the face in the mirror doesn’t always show it.