Sunday, May 16: Mirror, mirror on the wall…

Sitting at a stoplight today, I found myself behind a woman who was fixing her hair and doing her makeup in the rearview mirror. Though she should have been focused on the more important task of driving her car, she was focused on her own beauty. It made me think about the invention of the mirror, and upon checking Wikipedia, found that it was invented early in man’s history, mostly for personal grooming. Though there were less clear versions of the mirror early on, around the time of Jesus they began making metal-coated, glass mirrors in Sihon (what is now Lebanon). Since that time, mirrors additionally have been used in decoration, architecture and in scientific instruments. Yet the initial usage is still the most common.


Before the invention of the mirror, I doubt that people cared quite as much about every hair being in place. Questioning a companion, “How’s my hair look,” would be the closest thing to a mirror, unless you gazed into a still, pool of water! Upon reflection, I thought of how much more valuable a mirror would be if it revealed what was on the inside of a person rather than what was on the outside!


It is a true challenge to each believer to see ourselves the way God sees us! There are certainly two sides to that coin, as usually, we think too highly of ourselves, knowing that God has told us in His Word that our hearts are desperately wicked and deceitful at best. Yet when we have received salvation from the Lord, the Father sees the righteousness of His Son when He looks upon us!


14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
 Psalm 139:14


Though most people would choose to have Hollywood looks, that is not the beauty that we should desire. In Isaiah 53:2 when prophetically describing Jesus, Isaiah says, “He has no form or comeliness and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” The beauty of Jesus is on the inside, just as it should be for all of us as believers.


“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
Matthew 6:1-4


God created you exactly the way you are, so He certainly loves the outside. He also made the inside and easily sees our hearts and motives.


3Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
4He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
5He shall receive blessing from the LORD,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Psalm 24:3-5


Clean hands demonstrate our actions, while pure hearts demonstrate our motives. If we spent as much time developing those godly motives instead of focusing on the tone of every muscle and the placement of every hair, we might start to reflect our Lord, whose beauty was on the inside! Mirror, mirror on the wall…why focus on the outside, ya’ll?