Mirror, Mirror On the Wall

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. James 1:23-25

Do you look into the mirror each morning? When you look, do you take a quick glance and then walk away? Or do you look into the mirror while brushing your hair, doing your make-up, even brushing your teeth? Do you look intently, ensuring you are at least presentable when you walk out the door?

I’m not sure about you, but I’m certain I look intently into the mirror—multiple times each day. I use the mirror in the morning before I go to work. I look into the mirror when I wash my hands. I look intently into the mirror in the evenings when I wash my face before bed. I look in the mirror and see my reflection aging and the gray in my hair growing out. I’m by no means obsessed with my appearance, but I do look in the mirror repeatedly and intently.

Why? What does the mirror reveal?

It often reveals imperfections. I’ve recently noticed some age spots appearing on my face. It’s time to get my roots colored so I see the gray hair peeking through. It seems each year brings a few more wrinkles. It’s a sobering reminder that I’m no longer young.

It reveals the condition of my outer appearance. Sometimes I look tired. Sometimes I look refreshed. Some days I look ready to go out and other times I look like I’ve been working in the yard. But the physical mirror only reveals the outer appearance.

It reflects my actual appearance. Good or bad, the mirror is an accurate representation of what others see. There are no distortions, at least not in the mirror I use. The mirror does not allow me to hide behind the delusion that my outer body is wasting away (2 Corinthians 4:16).

While the physical mirrors we use reflect the outer appearance, God’s Word is designed to be a mirror of our inner being. When used properly and regularly, the Word of God reveals our inner imperfections, shows us the condition of our inner appearance, and reflects the actual condition of our inner selves. When we look intently into His perfect law, we cannot escape the true condition of our inner beings.

Maybe that’s a scary thought to you. I guess it depends on what you want out of life. If you are satisfied with not growing, not seeing what you are hiding deep inside, you probably don’t want to look intently into the mirror of God’s Word.

But, if you desire to become the best version of yourself. If you truly want to grow and become all God has created you to be. If you want to mature in your relationship with others.

Then an intent look into God’s law should be on your daily priorities.

I’ve come across some incredible tools that are designed to be a mirror, a mirror that shows us the broccoli in our teeth. (Not sure about you, but I hate it when no one tells me I have something in my teeth!) As I’ve been studying these tools alongside the Word of God, I thought the tools would be something great to share with you all. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

The leader mirror is the first tool we will look at. Much of what I’ve already said explains this tool. It’s a reminder that if we want to be successful in our lives and in our relationships, we need to look intently into the mirror on a regular basis. We need to understand who we are, our strengths and our weaknesses. We need to know our tendencies and how they affect our lives. We need to understand what it’s like to be on the other side of us.

Some questions we should ask ourselves regularly include:

Are we living our lives with purpose? Or are we simply reacting to what live throws our way?

Are we living intentionally? Or are we just sliding through life without really thinking?

Are we living consistently? Do others know what to expect from us? Or are we inconsistent, with others never knowing exactly what we will bring to the table?

I don’t know about you, but we are trying to become more intentional. We have taken steps to eliminate some of the ways we live accidentally—things like putting limits on our phones so we don’t waste our days scrolling, limiting our television time and replacing it with human connection. These are a couple of ways we are seeking to look at ourselves in the leader mirror and choose to become better.

What about you? How are you striving to become the best version of you? How are you working to become all God created you to be? If you aren’t using the mirror of God’s Word, I recommend you start there. Spend time each day, and let God and His Word show you what’s in your heart.

Then, ask yourselves each day if you are living proactively, intentionally, and consistently. Look into the Leader Mirror, and be honest with the reflection looking back at you. You won’t regret it when you see the broccoli in your teeth and are able to see clearly to remove it.