If the truth be told, I was a very strange kid. Just ask my brothers and sisters…on second thought, don’t.One example of my strangeness was I had a slight fear of looking into a mirror at night. I know it sounds silly but mirrors used to creep me out. I guess I had seen one too many horror films where a blood thirsty monster is standing behind a defenseless young lady, about to pounce upon her. When she looks into the mirror she sees it but when she turns around, she sees nothing. I guess my reasoning was if I don’t see it, it can’t hurt me. Ha! A little kid’s reasoning can be quite askew. On the other hand, so can an adult’s.
The longer I live, the more I realize that a significant number of adults have a fear of mirrors. It is so easy for them to determine what kind of person they are without looking into the mirror. They ascribe to themselves flattering characteristics. They esteem themselves to be the standard by which others should judged. They view themselves as admirable…to a fault. They don’t consciously say these things, but they carry themselves this way. They can’t see that there is a monster called “Pride” that has already pounced upon them.
I’m an alumnus of Moody Bible Institute so I receive their alumni magazine. In their latest issue (Sprg. 09, Vol. 59, No. 2), I ran across a brief statement that reminded me of my childhood fear of mirrors:
“We often take reflections in a mirror, glass, or water for granted. Sometimes even ignoring them all together. Others can’t pass by their reflection without stopping to admire themselves. But our reflections can often let us know that we have a smudge on our face or that our hair is mussed up. They are also used as tools to help us shave or apply makeup. We don’t look at our reflection and not react in some way to check, correct, or enhance our appearance. The word of God can give us spiritual reflections. Do we make the same kind of corrections or enhancements when we see a flaw or a way to make ourselves better, from Scripture? What’s in YOUR reflection?”
“We often take reflections in a mirror, glass, or water for granted. Sometimes even ignoring them all together. Others can’t pass by their reflection without stopping to admire themselves. But our reflections can often let us know that we have a smudge on our face or that our hair is mussed up. They are also used as tools to help us shave or apply makeup. We don’t look at our reflection and not react in some way to check, correct, or enhance our appearance. The word of God can give us spiritual reflections. Do we make the same kind of corrections or enhancements when we see a flaw or a way to make ourselves better, from Scripture? What’s in YOUR reflection?”
It’s tragic that people can’t see the “smudge on their faces.” It's because they fail to stop and take a look at themselves (not a parting glance but a long, honest, lingering look) into the mirror. Earlier this week, Cynthia and I sat and spoke with a man and his wife about Jesus. That man shared his past with us. He shared how he had people, money and power. He shared how he had been raised in the church but that he was now back-slidden. He had forgotten about God and, as a result, his life had spiraled down into the abyss of destruction and despair. Now he was sitting and looking at himself in the mirror and saying, “I’m tired of seeing myself in that reflection, I need to see Jesus.”
As Christ-followers, we are called to no longer behave as children with childhood reasoning. We are called to become mature believers who reflect Jesus. That’s what I want to see. I want to see Jesus when I look into the mirror. It is a life-long pursuit but I am committed to the quest. I pray that you are too.
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 (NKJV)
As Christ-followers, we are called to no longer behave as children with childhood reasoning. We are called to become mature believers who reflect Jesus. That’s what I want to see. I want to see Jesus when I look into the mirror. It is a life-long pursuit but I am committed to the quest. I pray that you are too.
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 (NKJV)
From the Heart and Mind of Victor.
