What Do You Know About Mirrors?

What do you know about mirrors?

Mirrors are reflective in nature. I use them nearly every day. They are quite helpful when getting ready. The Bible is compared to a mirror in James 1:23-24. James writes, “23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word [the Bible] and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like,” (ESV).

The Bible is a mirror, reflecting the law and heart of God. Perfectly and candidly revealing to us our sinful nature, shortcomings, and our true identity when we are in Christ. I can think of two metaphorical mirrors in my life: God through His Word and people. So my question to you is: What are you going to do about the mirrors in your life?

I think what James is getting at in verses 23 and 24 is that faith without action is pointless. It’s as silly as looking in a mirror, seeing a piece of gum stuck in your hair, and not doing anything about it… Silly, right? Maybe the same is true with our hearts. When the Lord reveals flaws or inconsistency in us and we choose not to do anything about it, we end up walking around saying one thing and doing another. The call is not to perfection, but to actually live out our faith in response to imperfection.

The Word of God encourages us, and perhaps what is more transformative is that it reveals our flaws. It corrects us, disclosing the truth in our hearts. And sometimes that truth is uglier than we’d like to think. Our hearts can be far more deceitful than we can imagine and yet God’s grace is more profound than we could ever grasp. So how do we respond when the truth of God calls us out? Are we going to take action to submit those flaws to the Lord and change our ways? Are we going to allow His Spirit and His grace to empower us to walk in love? Or will we look in the mirror, see our flaws, and walk away as if we never saw them…

I’ll be the first to admit that I fail at this. Sometimes it feels easier to ignore the nudges of the Holy Spirit and to succumb to distraction. But the Lord is in the business of making our hearts more and more beautiful. Not because they themselves are beautiful, but because He intends to make them like His own. By His power and by His prompting. He’s given us a mirror and everything we need so that He can accomplish just that. Because ultimately, what’s in our hearts will always trickle out into our words and our actions.

Our Friends Can Be Mirrors

Some mirrors on this side of heaven are flawed, maybe some scratches here and there. The Word of God is a perfect mirror, but maybe good friends are like these other mirrors. Not perfect, but still able to provide a perspective that we may not see otherwise. I have prayed Psalm 139 over my heart time and time again. That the Lord would search me and know my heart (Psalm 139). I have faith to believe that He has answered that prayer in several ways. Specifically so by sending friends and mentors into my life who would ask me questions. Questions that get to the heart of things. People who have the courage to consider my blind spots and provide perspective. Who invite me into a conversation about areas or flaws that I didn’t see before. A lot like a mirror. Again, they are human. Imperfect, but they also have the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth. A good friend tells the truth, when you don’t see it and especially when you don’t want to hear it. They are people that fear God more than they are concerned with pleasing you. They fight for righteousness, upon examining their own, to not only hold you accountable, but to push you towards Jesus. God loves without compromising the truth. A good friend is like that too. In marriage, I think that a spouse is probably the most powerful mirror on earth apart from the Lord when that marriage is submitted to the Spirit of God. Our relationships are to enjoy and to be transformed by, ultimately for God’s glory. Within the family of God, we need brothers and sisters and mentors to encourage us, tell the truth, and push us towards the likeness of Christ. Following the Lord is a constant process of sanctification. We are being made holy day by day through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is failing, learning, seeking God’s wisdom, having faith, and ultimately taking action. It is our choice to surrender and respond to the Word of God and the Truth that it proclaims.

Each day as we look in the mirror, we get to choose how we respond. Are we going to come to God with our flaws and walk away complacently? Or are we going to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel? Do not be discouraged. The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:1 declares, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (ESV). Christ’s blood covers us perfectly and completely. Regardless of where you are in your journey with God, Jesus was and is perfect on your behalf. I am tempted to self-condemn when I do not achieve perfection, but who is to condemn us if Christ is for us? The gospel of Jesus Christ covers you. If you are walking in surrender to Him, His Spirit is at work in you, renewing your inner being day by day, until you are ultimately perfected in glory with Him. God has you, friend.

- Summer Broadbridge