Warped Mirrors

Why do we all have mirrors in our bathrooms? They don’t compromise. They don’t gloss over our defects and tell us we’re better-looking than we really are. They show us every wrinkle and every gray hair. As unpleasant as it may be to confront our own faces first thing in the morning, we know that if we don’t take a look at ourselves, and make some major adjustments, the rest of the world is going to see that morning face!

I figure, it’s better to “face” the truth, so we can make the changes we think are necessary to make ourselves presentable to the rest of the world. If we are going to be all that God wants us to be, then we must be able to have a clear vision of which we are and what needs to change in our life.

My side view mirror has been crackled for the last few weeks. Instead of replacing it, I procrastinated fixing it. I have been driving around for weeks with a cracked view of the world. The things is though, I got used to seeing this reflection. So much, when I replaced it with a brand new mirror, it was very difficult for me to discern the image I was seeing in the mirror.

That’s when I began to realize that all of us look at life in slightly different ways. All based on the quality of the mirror and the damage that has occurred over time. We each see things differently because we are seeing a reflection of who we think we are. But where is that reflection coming from? What kind of mirror are we looking into? Is your mirror cracked?

In Corinthians it says, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face now I know in part; but then shall I know fully just as I also have been fully known." None of us can see ourselves as clearly as we should, but there are some people who don’t see much at all.

Some people look at themselves, at their image, as though they were looking into a very tiny mirror. You know the mirror I’m talking about. Every woman seems to have one in their purse. I have looked at my own life at times through a tiny mirror. You fix a little something here. You cover up a little something there. And if you can’t fix it or cover it up you move the mirror away so you won’t have to look at anymore.

If were honest about that image that we think were covering up and is seen not only by God but by those around us. Sometimes we think we are hiding something very well, that others see so very clearly. It isn’t that we can’t get a bigger or better mirror. It’s that we have become comfortable with the false image and maybe we have even convinced ourselves that we are fine just the way we are.

Have you ever been into the house of mirrors at a carnival? I remember going to every mirror and would make all kinds of different poses and stick my tongue out and watch it get so long that it looked like it touched the floor. Have you been there?

Some of the mirrors make you look like you are much taller than you really are. Have you ever let your image be warped into thinking you are better than someone else? I have. You let yourself become much taller in your own eyes than they really are.

Then there are the small mirrors, those who look into a warped mirror and see an image of themselves; that is much shorter than it truly is. People who use this mirror to see themselves often believe that they can never be special.

To them, every silver lining has a dark cloud. Their lack of faith is evident because they can never trust God or believe God for anything.
I have looked through this mirror also. Sometimes we look through this mirror when we are stressed, depressed or wondering why God would ever use a sinner like me. We need to quit looking at these warped mirrors and see ourselves the way that God sees us.

We need to look into the perfect mirror of God’s Word and gain spiritual power from the Words written there. We need to look into a perfect mirror to see the real person that we are. The only perfect mirror is the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. The perfect image is Jesus. We need to look into a perfect mirror to see the real person the real image.

James tells us how to look in the mirror, "For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror…And he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was."

We must compare ourselves only to the image of Jesus Christ.

Only a perfect mirror can give you a perfect image.