The Wrong Mirror

 

By Andrea Merrell

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT

“Mirror, mirror on the wall … please be kind to me today. Let me have a perfect hair day, put on just the right amount of make-up, be free of zits, and walk away from you feeling good about myself.”

Come on, ladies, we think it even if we don’t say it. We start the day judging ourselves by what we see in the mirror, and it sets the tone for how we feel, think, and behave. When we do that, we’re trying to live from the outside/in.

But what if we’re looking into the wrong mirror? They say what you see is what you get, but that’s not always true. What we see with our natural eye can give us a distorted view of who we really are. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror.

The mirror of God’s Word is where we’ll find our true, authentic self—our spirit. Born again. Redeemed. Loved. Made whole, complete, perfect in His eyes.

God does not judge us—as we judge ourselves—by how we look or even behave. We don’t have to be perfect on the outside to be worthy of His love. As His child, He sees us clothed in His own robe of righteousness.

We are spirit beings, created in the image of God. We have a soul, and we live in a body (our temporary earth suit). We should never be overly concerned about what we see in a natural mirror. It’s what’s on the inside that counts—peace, joy, wisdom, strength, kindness, compassion, the mind of Christ, the love of God that’s been poured out in our heart, and rivers of living water.

Let’s change our focus (our mirror) and live from the inside/out (from our spirit) just as God intends.

 

Photo by Taylor Smith on Unsplash

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Pazham.