Ever feel you have one of those fun house mirrors in your home? You walk by the mirror and the reflection you see isn’t what you expect. Obviously it is a trick mirror, I haven’t put on those pounds. Yea, clothes have been fitting a little tighter, but everyone knows that clothes shrink at times in the wash. And the shape of my body, that is not what it looks like. So you check out another mirror and the reflection is the same. OK, who is playing a trick on me and replacing the mirrors in my house with fun house ones?
The mirror where I get my hair cut seems to also give me fits, or maybe the person cutting my hair isn’t that good. After they cut my hair they give me my glasses back and ask me how it looks. I expect to look a little more dashing than the person staring back at me in the mirror. It must be the way they cut my hair, styled it or something. But then again they were working just with what was on top of my head and not what was on the front of it. So, maybe it’s not the mirror?
We all have views about the way we feel we are seen by others. It may be you have a very high opinion of yourself, only to find out that high opinion exists only in your mind--and that of your mom. Other times you might wonder how anyone can love and put up with you--outside of your mom. Most likely, reality is somewhere in between the two. (Although you can usually rely on the opinion of your mom to be pretty positive ). How are we really seen by others?
Should the opinion of others matter? When it comes to judging you, no it shouldn’t. If someone choses to judge you, that is their problem. Now that isn’t to say it won’t have an effect on us, it does. When that does happen, remember Jesus was judged harshly and the judgments were wrong. Jesus understands what it is like to live in this world, because He did.
Should the opinion of others matter? When it comes to judging God, yes it should. If the way I live my life has a negative effect on another’s perception of God, then I need to take a good look at myself and consider making some changes. I guess a good way to determine this is to ask the questions: “Am I reflecting Christ, or am I reflecting self?” “Am I living my life the way I want or changing to be what God desires?”
When you look at your reflection in the mirror this week, maybe you will say, “Yeah, that’s a good looking person!” Or maybe it will be like I am some mornings and “Ahhhh! What has happened?” After you get by those, or whatever reaction you have, take a closer look. Look deep and realize the person in the mirror is so loved by God that His Son died for them. Then use that daily to make sure the reflection others see, isn’t yours, but our Savior who was willing to die for others to know of God’s love. Then, walk away from the mirror confident of being loved and reflecting that love.
Working on my reflection,
Randy
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