Before and After

Before and After photos flood our social media feeds these days.  I like most of them.  A toothless toddler on the left and a grinning graduate on the right.  A woman who has conquered her fitness goals and holds her too-large pants out from her now-small waist.  Even a meth addict transformed into a vibrant and healthy young woman.  These make us feel like there is always hope for the future; the best is yet to come.

I have also noticed something about these before and after pictures.  If the subject is posting about themself, they will often talk about the person they were before and all of their struggles with self esteem or unhappiness.  They often say they wish they could go back and do things differently...that the person they are now is much better than the person they were then.

They say that hindsight is 20/20, but rarely is that true of our view of our own selves.  We look back on the person we used to be (especially in pictures) and see ourselves through a certain lens of self-deprication.  (FYI, self-deprication is not attractive on anyone.)

"I can't believe how overweight I was."

"Look how sad my eyes look."

"WHY did my mother let me have that hairstyle?"

"What was I thinking with those high-waisted shorts and tall socks?"  (Children of the 90's can relate.)

The way we see ourselves in those "before" pictures is only part of the story.

The girl you saw as overweight ran miles every day just to try to fit in in middle school.

The woman with the sad eyes was really just exhausted from being up with a colicky baby all night.

That now-out-of-style hairdo means your mother got up extra early that morning to help you look nice for picture day.

Those questionable fashion choices were made by a young girl who was just figuring out how to put together an outfit and be independent.

Without the "before" there would be no "after."  

The person you are now is a direct result of all the struggles, the awkward stages, and the trying times that made up your past.  Don't look down on that "before" person too much.  After all...she is you.

Just as we extend grace to others, let's not forget to reserve some for ourselves along the way.