Reflections

Hello! My name is Celeste and I can’t even begin to express my gratitude to you for choosing to be a part of my world. To be completely honest, I’m a little shocked! For much of my life I’ve felt deep seeded feelings of rejection and it still surprises me that anyone would be remotely interested in my story, but yet here we are together for a purpose. 

I wrote my recent book, You Are Not Who You Think You Are, in hopes of helping others begin to see what God sees in them. The “me” that I see in the mirror today is much different than the “me” I often reflect upon.

Growing up, looking into a mirror was not a positive experience for me. What I saw was all my “nots”: not pretty, not smart and not wanted. I have photos where I can see the emptiness behind my smile and the negative thoughts behind my eyes. I come from God-fearing, loving parents, but even in a good home, you can experience hurt. 

Then we grow up and we should have grown past it all, but instead it lingers. It lingers in our thoughts. It lingers in our reflection and all we see is what was, not what is or what is to come. We can still often see that girl in the mirror . . . you know, the one we don’t like. The one who made all the mistakes. The one who was abused. The one who was made fun of. The one who fell into stereotypes. The one who had a bad reputation. The one who let everyone down. The one who was rejected. The one that can’t break the cycle. 

So what do we do as a response to it all? We work tirelessly to cover things up because our worldview tells us that once exposed, we will lose. We will lose relationships, we will lose influence, we will lose reputation. I hate to be the one to share this with you, but no matter what you are trying to hide it will seep out of you. BUT what if I also share with you that you don’t have to try to cover it up to measure up? 

Therefore, confess your sins to one another
and pray for one another, that you may be healed . . .

James 5:16 (NIV)

You see, a biblical view tells us to expose our sins, and in doing so, we will be healed. In my own experience, I’ve found that in healthy relationships, we actually become more intimate when we share and expose our mess to each other. When I embraced this truth, the weight of my mess-ups, failures and shame came off of me! So much so that I wrote a book that shares all of these vulnerable spaces with you. I’m not who I thought I was, who I was told that I was or the mistakes I made, I am who God says I am. 

You too have taken cheap bait from the enemy that completely conflicts with who God has created you to be! Today, begin to think different, break cycles and be confident because you are made for more!