Have you ever read about how a mirror is made? It’s interesting, but rather simple! A piece of glass gets cleaned and prepared, then a metal is applied to it, it cures, finally there is a coat of protection that is layered on. Pretty simple! Out of that process mirrors of all shapes and sizes are created, and their purpose is for the viewer to see and generally fix themselves and their appearance.
How many of us can spend quite a bit of time in front of the mirror? We will spend hours looking into this piece of glass trying to correct everything we see wrong so we can approve of the reflection. A job interview, a social event, a date. We want to look our best so when we are seen, people see the image of us we want them to see. Pretty vain, isn’t it? Making sure every hair is accounted for, that every wrinkle in our is out, and every piece of lint is off our clothes.
That fixes our appearance; however, it doesn’t really fix what is in our hearts. We may look professional enough for that job, but shortly after our employer finds out how unprofessional we are in our actions. We may get quite a few compliments at our event, but those words pass out of their mouths, through our ears, and the moment is forgotten. We may have a great date, get engaged, and finally married, but we are selfish, lazy, uncompassionate, beating down our spouse.
Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that “the heart is deceitful above all things”; no matter how long we sit in front of that mirror, we will never be able to fix our hearts. We are born into sin, we live in sin, we are corrupted, and our sin keeps us separated from God. The Bible also tells us in Romans that there is none that is good but God.
The word of God, though, acts as a mirror for our hearts. As we look upon His word and how he tells us to live, we adjust, correct, and make sure everything is accounted for so when we are looked upon, the image that is seen is not of us, but of Jesus.
As we spend time in His word and in prayer, he shows us what in our lives needs to change so we may draw closer to Him. He drives the anger out of our hearts, he tears out the fear, and he replaces it all with HIS strength, HIS love, HIS peace.
When we start reflecting His image instead of ours, our environment starts changing. The chaos that we surround ourselves with ceases. When we start acting in His love, we start receiving love back. When we start trusting in Him, our worry and anxiety disappear.
The Bible lays out how we should live our lives,
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
How do we renew our mind? Philippians 4:8 tells us to think on things that are true, honest, pure, lovely, of good report, virtue, and praise! Think on those things. When negative or perverted thoughts come to our mind, 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to “Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”.
Faith changes your life.
Having faith in God requires us not to lean on our own understanding; it requires us to rely on His strength, His guidance, His Truth. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. When Christ is the Lord of our life, He prepares and cleans our hearts, applies His spirit on to our lives, and gives us protection! When we dive into the perfect word of God, we see what he wants for our life, how he will guide us through our life, and how we make our image mirror His!