Mirror, Mirror
It has often been said that we are our own harshest critics. We look in the mirror and we do not see our strengths and our uniqueness, but instead only our weakness and our flaws. In a world where "the system" depends on our unhappiness to fuel purchases, we are told we are imperfect much too often. We are buying into the lies.
Because we look into the mirror and don't see the beauty that lies there, when we walk away all we can remember is the imperfection. This isn't a message just for the ladies, either, because it's not just a physical element... when we fail, we believe that we are worth less. The word of God tells us over and over again, "You are enough, you are loved, you are redeemed," but we often forget to listen. We certainly don't live like we believe it.
The words of James are playing out in our lives: "Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like" (James 1: 23-24). We have lost sight of who God says we are. Because we do not believe His truth, we cannot follow through on His commands, and as a result, we feel useless. The cycle is perpetuating.
What hope is there for those who cannot remember their identity? Perhaps we need to let God remove the parts of us that do not reflect Him. The process may hurt and it certainly won't be easy, but very little worth doing ever is. The world has glued pieces of who it thinks we should be onto the masterpiece that God already had made perfect. As He uses His word to chisel off these misplaced lies, we may feel like it hurts, but we can trust that He knows what He's doing. After all, God has long been in the business of restoring masterpieces.
Piece by piece, the our ugly sin will fall away. Then one day, we will look in the mirror. We will not our faces and forget them, because what lies there will be to wonderful to ever lose sight of. We will see the image of God and it is then that we will realize the beauty of what we were truly created to be.
"But those who look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continue in it-- not forgetting what they have heard but doing it-- they will be blessed in all they do." -James 1:25
Because we look into the mirror and don't see the beauty that lies there, when we walk away all we can remember is the imperfection. This isn't a message just for the ladies, either, because it's not just a physical element... when we fail, we believe that we are worth less. The word of God tells us over and over again, "You are enough, you are loved, you are redeemed," but we often forget to listen. We certainly don't live like we believe it.
The words of James are playing out in our lives: "Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like" (James 1: 23-24). We have lost sight of who God says we are. Because we do not believe His truth, we cannot follow through on His commands, and as a result, we feel useless. The cycle is perpetuating.
What hope is there for those who cannot remember their identity? Perhaps we need to let God remove the parts of us that do not reflect Him. The process may hurt and it certainly won't be easy, but very little worth doing ever is. The world has glued pieces of who it thinks we should be onto the masterpiece that God already had made perfect. As He uses His word to chisel off these misplaced lies, we may feel like it hurts, but we can trust that He knows what He's doing. After all, God has long been in the business of restoring masterpieces.
Piece by piece, the our ugly sin will fall away. Then one day, we will look in the mirror. We will not our faces and forget them, because what lies there will be to wonderful to ever lose sight of. We will see the image of God and it is then that we will realize the beauty of what we were truly created to be.
"But those who look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continue in it-- not forgetting what they have heard but doing it-- they will be blessed in all they do." -James 1:25
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