We all carry them. Those little compacts with mirrors so we can check ourselves through the day. We look in the mirror as we get ready in the morning. Throughout the day we may look into that mirror as we pass, or just to check ourselves before leaving home. We seem to look in the mirror a lot, don't we? Ever walk into a beauty salon? Hmm... There are mirrors everywhere. We need the front view, the side view and back. We pass by those store front windows that allow us to see ourselves as we pass. Sometimes it can be frightening to look if you haven't in a while. Do you ever just catch yourself in the mirror and think, "Who is that lady?" Everywhere we turn we become fixed on what we look like.As I was listening to my Pastor yesterday, he said, "There will be no mirrors in heaven." That thought stuck with me throughout the day. I began thinking of how many times I look in the mirror at my self. In heaven I won't be looking in a mirror to see myself, I will be focused on gazing at the beauty of Christ, praising Him. So, that brings me to my second thought. Why am I waiting until heaven? Why am I not focusing on Him now, praising Him, and making sure it is He that I look to each morning first? Throughout the day instead of looking at myself, making sure everything is in place I should be focused on, "Is Jesus shining through me?" I need to be wondering if others can see Him through each step I take. That mirror I look in should totally be a reflection of Him. I shouldn't be concerned about how I look, but about how He looks through me. What are others seeing as they catch a glimpse of me? Is it His precious life they see through me? Is it His love, grace, and mercy?
In being a light to the world, my life should do nothing but lead others to Him. My life should be a testimony of His redemption and grace. All the good in my life is because of a loving Savior that chose to love me enough to give His life so that I might have life.
So, I don't need to make sure my hair is just perfect, or my make up is just right. I don't need to check and see if my clothes are fitting just perfect. I need to make sure my attitude is one that outshines my appearance. It doesn't matter what I have on, or if I have my hair done in that perfect style. If my heart is not in the right place, nothing is going to make me look more beautiful. Beauty begins on the inside. What this world calls beautiful is not what the Lord sees as beauty.
Beauty is simply loving others. It is serving. It is giving. It is reaching out. It is making it about Christ and those around us. Our mirror should show the Lord's heart and the lives of those around us that we are making an impact on. My life is not my own. The Lord is showing me that daily.
I used to be one of those girls who looked in the mirror quite often. It took me two hours to get ready for school. Our appearance is always something we care about, but more than this world seeing us and making it all about us, they should be seeing a reflection of Christ. It is all about Him.
I don't have to wait until heaven to see Him. I can look around me today and see Him all around me. Everything of beauty is from Him. Everything of good is all because of His love. I don't have to wait until heaven to spend my day worshiping Him. We were created to worship Him. We are created in His image, so when we pick up that mirror it is He that we should be seeing.
I now will carry my compact as a reminder. Each time I look into it, I pray I see Jesus. I pray that is the reflection others are seeing in my life. In my word, and actions, may they always speak of the life of Christ, pointing others to Him.
James 1:22-25 "But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says, and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it."
1 Peter 5:6 "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor."
