Even if you don’t like seeing your own reflection, with the right perspective you can find God in the mirror.
Image by Mensatic
With each year that passes, I like what I see in my bathroom mirror less and less. More sagging and bagging. More wrinkles and crinkles. My worst features seem to be getting more prominent even as my good ones fade. It’s especially bad when I first wake up—enough to make a zombie turn tail and run, or rather lurch, off.
But I’ve decided to adopt a new perspective, to change what I see when I look at my reflection. Not with lotions or potions (although if you know any good ones, give me a shout). I’m training myself to meditate on three truths when I look in the mirror.
TRUTH #1: God loves me the way I am.
My imperfections can serve to remind me that God’s love for me is unconditional, uncompromising, and neverending. While I do want to please Him, I never need to worry about trying to make Him love me more. He’s not waiting for me to embark on some self-improvement program, drop twenty pounds, or get a facelift before He gives me His full acceptance. He loves me right now, like this, period.
I love you with an everlasting love. So I will continue to show you my kindness. Jeremiah 31:3 (GW)
TRUTH #2: It’s what’s inside that counts.
Being surrounded by images of “beautiful people” (often surgically or digitally enhanced) on television, websites, and magazine covers makes it hard to resist the lie that physical beauty is all-important. God wants us to focus on cultivating inner beauty, qualities that make us more like Him. Why spend so much time, money, and energy on a body that is only temporary, after all, while neglecting what matters most?
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
TRUTH #3: My job is to reflect Christ to others.
Regardless of how my appearance looks to others, my goal is to be a reflection of Christ and His love. When other people observe my behavior, my attitudes, and my overall life, they should be able to see His grace. As God transforms me into the image of Christ, people will see less of me and more of Him. Looking in my mirror reminds me that God is continually polishing me so I can give off a better reflection of Him.
As all of us reflect the Lord’s glory with faces that are not covered with veils, we are being changed into his image with ever-increasing glory. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (GW)
How about you? Do you feel dissatisfied when you look in the mirror? If you train yourself to reflect on these truths when you see your reflection, you too will be finding God in the mirror.
© Dianne Neal Matthews. Dianne is a freelance writer and the author of four daily devotional books including Designed for Devotion: A 365-Day Journey from Genesis to Revelation. Visit her at her website, on Facebook, or on Twitter.
Prepare to hold your sides in laughter as you enjoy Vonda Skelton’s hilarious take on King Solomon’s lavish praise of his beloved found in Song of Solomon:
