Being a hairstylist, I have worked in front of a mirror every single day for almost a decade. At first I didn't mind it. When I would look in the mirror, throughout the day I would just touch up my make-up and fix my hair when I would see something that had to be fixed, no big deal. Then, as time went on, I started resenting the mirror, because the more you look at it, the more you realize all that needs to be changed! And then, I have found recently that sometimes it just feels like too much work to keep up with all the changes that need to happen, when I am tired and exhausted after years of trying to look perfect all the time. I have found recently that many days, although I look in the mirror many times during the day, I just don't pay too much attention to myself and move on with my daily tasks.
My fear is that this will be true of my life spiritually, as I read God's Word.
James 1:22-25 "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides in it, not having become a forgetful hearer, but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does."
So many thoughts go through my mind what I read this passage this morning.
What is the purpose of a mirror? You look at it and you see what is okay, and what needs to be changed. Sometimes it tells me that I need to backcomb my hair more cause it is flat. Sometimes I have something in my teeth and it tells me I need to get it out. Sometimes I see dark circles under my eyes and the mirror helps me recognize I need more sleep. Other times I feel rested and look refreshed and it shows me I am at rest in life.
But what if we didn't let the mirror do what it is made to do, as I have found myself doing recently? My question would be, "Why even have a mirror?"
It is not enough to own a Bible, or even self-deceive ourselves with learning it intellectually, if we don't approach it with a desire to let it penetrate our lives and change us to be more like God. In fact, if we approach it without having a desire to hear and obey God, we get discouraged and frustrated. Just like if you simply own a mirror, you just get frustrated looking into it if all you do is see what it says and do nothing about it.
I made another observation when I read this passage in the New American Standard Bible version. It speaks of looking at your "natural face" in the mirror. That is why I like this version the best when I read this passage. I will tell you what...I would so much rather look into the mirror when I have my make-up on than when I have no make-up on and I just woke up! I think too often, we learn to make ourselves up spiritually. We learn how to put on our "spiritual mascara" and "spiritual concealer" to make our natural face look better. But what is underneath is actually pretty unattractive. When we look into Scripture, it really has the ability to speak to us, where we really are without our "cover-ups"...and it is when we hear what it says, and do what it says, that we are changed. Otherwise, we just pretend we look good. I think most of us have become good at looking like we are okay, but in reality we aren't as good as it looks on the surface.
Lastly, I love the end of the verse that says "But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it- he will be blessed in what he does." This may not sound popular to many people, but it has been pressed on my heart many times this year as I have spoke with many people. People too often want the blessings of God, without the sacrifice of obedience. They want to live life however they want and put a cross on top and call it Christian. Not how it works. If we want the blessings of God, we really need to approach His Word, let it penetrate our hearts, listen to what God has to say, and do what God's Spirit in us helps us to do.
All to say, I was challenged this morning as I read. And I pray that it doesn't end with me just having these spiritual thoughts and then going on with my life. I pray that today, and the days ahead, that I focus on what the Word tells me and that I obey it. I pray that I won't approach Scripture the way I have slowly come to approach my mirror at the salon....I pray I won't become callused to it and that I will always quickly respond in obedience so I can become more beautiful in Jesus' eyes.
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