How does God view me?
Dear Friends
President Barack Obama used the phrase ‘Yes We Can’ as his slogan during the Presidential campaign to inspire confidence in Americans and no doubt others across the world that change both on a personal and collective level was possible. I wonder how many of us have used similar words in seeking personal confidence in what we can do or be as individuals. ‘Yes I can’ are words we may have said to our self before an interview or other personal commitment to change ways or attitudes.
Very often it helps to say such words in front of a mirror!
How do you see yourself in front of a mirror? Perhaps we have a mixed reaction, looking at the bad as well as the good points. Of course there are mirrors and ‘mirrors’.
There are unclear mirrors - centuries ago it was not possible to make clear glass and the phrase ‘for now we see through a glass darkly’, which is still used today, arose meaning to have an obscure or imperfect vision of reality. Paul the writer of several letters in the Bible coined the phrase in I Corinthians chapter 13 (see if you can find the verse) when speaking of whether he could know himself.
There are distorted mirrors - think of the fun most of us have when we walk through a ‘hall of mirrors’ often found at fairgrounds or seaside resorts. It can be very amusing to look at distorted views of our self or those we are with. Having fun is something that most if not all of us would agree is necessary in life but there may have been times when we have asked ourselves a more serious question such as “How does God view me?”
There are two-sided mirrors - such as the shaving mirror I use which has a normal view on one side and a magnified view on the other! Do you like looking at yourself close-up? Some don’t for it shows up imperfections, blemishes, grey hairs, warts and all! If we see such a view of ourselves what do we do? Do we try to deal with what we see or do we prefer to flip the mirror to the view where they don’t show up so much, thinking we can’t do anything about our image. The mirror of God tells us we are loved, forgiven and free of all our marks!
There are two-way mirrors - The TV show ‘Big Brother’ is full of them. They look like ordinary mirrors, but they can be used from the other side to see whatever goes on in the room. I know some of you have been distressed over personal issues in your life and you may have found comfort in realising that even when we are not aware of God, He is still aware of us.
And then there is the truthful mirror - In Snow White, the wicked step mother said: ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all,’ and the mirror told the truth!
What if a mirror could speak?
The Bible is a perfect mirror for Jesus is reflected there. Seeing Him we can say with confident “Yes, we can’ for we will know we have someone who has the power to inspire us as individuals and as people of this church and community to bring about an amazing change in all that we seek to do and be!
This year, as we progress through the weeks of Lent and towards Easter, let us look at our reflection through God’s mirror to see clearly what the future holds for us so we may know the truth as summed up below…
AH MIRROR, MIRROR OF THIS BOOK,
TODAY WE THANK YOU FOR THE LOOK,
WE ARE ABLE NOW TO SEE… THE PEOPLE YOU WANT US TO BE.
WE TRULY, TRULY KNOW YOU CARE, AND GIVE TO US, SO WE MIGHT SHARE.
A THOUSAND, THOUSAND THANKS TO YOU,
FOR NOW WE KNOW… WHAT WE MUST DO.
David