Starting off by way of a quick introduction, my name is Jeremy Binns. Most of you probably don't know me because I typically work in the background here at the Grace & Strength Lifestyle, but I've been in the trenches with them for quite some time now and am passionate about the ministry of this organization.

Recently I read a quote by coach Monica that really touched a chord with me, and I knew instantly that I wanted to write a post inspired by her words. This is what she wrote, "Your worth is not defined in a mirror. Your worth is defined in God."

Finding Worth Without the Mirror - A Photographer's Perspective

Before joining the Grace & Strength team, I was a career photographer for nearly a decade. I've photographed literally thousands of people in a crazy amount of settings and situations. For an admitted introvert, this was quite an accomplishment.

One of my greatest joys in working as a photographer has always been to work with someone who doesn't feel like they're 'pretty' or photogenic and then watch their expression and demeanor change when they see the beautiful person staring back at them as I show them their pictures. That experience will fuel your fulfillment tank for quite a while.

I remember a particular time when I was volunteering for Help Portrait (a charity organization that provides portraits to those who wouldn't otherwise be able to get them) and there were a group of young ladies from a girls home that came in. One teenage girl in particular was being extremely challenging to work with, so they gave her to me. Go figure. I guess they suspected that I was maybe just weird enough to be able to relate. (they were probably right)

As the session started, I asked her to step over to the studio area and have a seat on a tall stool that I had set up. Her response, "No! Why do I have to do that. This is stupid. I'm not doing it..." or something along those lines. She resolutely crossed her arms, and the walls went up. Ordinarily, this is my element. I'm in the zone. People like me. They do what I want. They don't tell me, "No." I was floored, but I recovered quickly and told her she could stand instead of sitting. I tried a few of my go-to jokes to relax the mood, but this gal was shut down and locked up like Fort Knox. Nothing I did was even putting a dent in this kids armor. She did NOT want to have her picture taken, and she was determined to get that point through my thick skull.

In a last ditch effort, I pulled out every last little crumb of charm that I could scrounge off the floor of my quickly deflating self esteem in an attempt to get her to smile just one time, and by some miraculous and divine intervention, her wall cracked just a little for a fraction of a second and I snapped a picture at just that moment. After saying a quick silent prayer, I looked at the picture on the back of my camera. Breath held, I looked closer... It was perfect.

I walked over to her, held the camera out and said, "Look, let me show you this. You look beautiful." She gave me the stink eye, but grudgingly looked at the camera. The shock and transformation that spread across her face is something that I'll never forget as long as I live. "I look good!" She blurted out. It wasn't arrogance or pride, it was amazement that the person in the picture matched her minds picture of what beautiful was. She went from stubborn resistance to aspiring fashion model all in the space of about 2.5 seconds. I eventually had to drag her off of the studio floor to make room for the next client when the time session was over. Mission accomplished! Never before had I seen a picture have such immediate impact on a persons perception of themselves.

There's a point here though... Aside from the missing scowl and new found smile, this gal didn't look any different when she left the building that day than she did when she entered it. Nothing about he appearance changed. What changed was that she saw herself from the perspective of someone who was able to see beauty in her when she couldn't find it in the mirror no matter how hard she tried.

As a father of three daughters (please pray for me) it breaks my heart to see so many women (and some guys too) trying to evaluate their worth based on what they see in the mirror. It is an impossible standard that will either crumble their self esteem or turn them into arrogant self-absorbed obnoxious 'beautiful people' that no one wants to be around. More importantly though, no matter how hard we try, we'll never be able to fully see ourselves the way we are, the way we really are. Even when you look in a mirror, what you are seeing is a an inverse reflection of reality. It's not what everyone else sees. Pictures and video can come close, but trust me, it ain't all accurate either. A picture can tell a thousand words, but half of them will probably be lies.

I think this is God's intention. His desire was never for us to find our worth in what we were able to see in ourselves, but instead to find our worth in the beauty that He is able to see in us. Perhaps one of life's greatest gifts is to spend a moment with our heavenly father, the source and creator of all that is truly beautiful in this life, and ask Him to show us the back of His camera. If you can, for even just a moment, see your life from His perspective, I believe it will change your life forever.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." - Psalm 139:14

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The Grace and Strength Lifestyle

I think one of the things that most drew me to work with Cyndi and Ric and the GNS team was the incredible ministry that I see every day. The clients come to us again and again to lose weight, and again and again they find something along this awesome journey that is so much greater than the thinner and healthier person staring back at them from the mirror. They find the relentless love of a Heavenly Father who desires nothing more than for His children to know that they are loved and valued. Sure, much of my work is in the background, but being a part of something that is so life-changing for so many people is truly rewarding. It is an honor and a privilege to serve with this team.

If weight or self worth is a challenge for you, I'd like to encourage you to contact this team. They are genuine, compassionate, and dynamically gifted in helping women to find freedom from weight and a true life-affirming value in their identity.

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* Individual results may vary.