Mirror, Mirror In My Hands

I’ve reached the stage in pregnancy that invites total strangers to comment on my physical appearance. Everywhere I go men and women alike stop what they are doing to make comments like, “You’re about to pop,” or “How much longer?” (Two weeks if you’re wondering).

I don’t need a mirror to tell me how I look right now. My aching back and the ten minutes it takes me to get in and out of a chair do the job just fine. In fact, I’m happy to avoid all mirrors, cameras or anything else that will accurately depict my appearance! Even in this state, though, I still check that reflection a time or two before I leave the house.

Several years ago, I listened to Dr. Tony Evans talk about women and our mirrors. He described how we approach them.

We start with the mirror in the bathroom over the sink. Then we move to the full-length mirror. On a personal note: I do not currently have a full length mirror, so I improvise by climbing on top of the frame of the bathtub. This gives me a full body view from the mirror over the sink. I recently stopped, however, after I came very close to falling off the ledge. I will wait until after the baby is born to resume this activity. Moving on … we also have a smaller mirror which we use to look into the bigger mirror, so we can see the back of our hair. (You know you’ve done it!). Finally, after the short drive to our destination we pull down the visor mirror to make sure everything is still in place. And, ladies, show of hands … how many of us have a mirror in our purse?

We look intently don’t we?

James 1:22-25 depicts a man who listens to God’s Word but doesn’t do what it says. James says it’s like he looks in a mirror then walks away and “immediately forgets what he looks like.” Sounds about right. I have four boys, and when I try to brush their hair I may as well be forcing them to eat brussels sprouts. They moan and complain and even cry sometimes.

Women, on the other hand, we look with purpose!

“But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it–not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it–they will be blessed in what they do.” James 1:25 (NIV)

Verse 25 tells us the Word of God is the true “mirror.” And God’s inspired Word tells us to “look intently” into it. The Greek word for “look intently” describes the picture of someone bent over to look at something. What do you do when you’re really trying to see something? When your interest is so intense you have to get a good look? You move closer. You bend over to get a better look. That’s what God is telling us to do with His Word.

When we do look in the mirror, we see the truth of what we look like to God. It’s only when we know the truth about ourselves that we can be transformed and move towards reflecting the image of Christ. And, the great news about this mirror: it promises blessing! I can’t say that for all the other mirrors in my world.