A couple of Christmas' ago, my very good friend, Chrissy, gave me a mirror. And let me tell you, this wasn't your typical little pocket mirror. This mirror was rather sophisticated with its two different options for viewing oneself and it even had a nice little light. Open side A and there held the average, common, view yourself normal, mirror. But, lift up the top panel to side B and there you were, larger than life in the magnifying mirror. I have never had a mirror that magnified before and was pretty excited over this gift. I was well aware that these almost 50 year old eyes, which must have reading glasses, might also be overlooking the little fine details. And while I was eager to open side B and have a look, I am fairly confident that nothing could have properly prepared me for what I was about to see. A huge shock awaited me, thats for sure.
When I opened the mirror and saw my face magnified by 20%, I was mortified. Really. There is no other way to describe it. I saw pores which appeared to be the size of craters and along with the craters and even, protruding from the craters, facial hair I never knew existed. Psalm 45:5 says that "Grace is poured upon your lips..." I'll take that over what I saw poured upon mine. I had no idea that the mirror would reveal so much imperfection. I knew there would be some, but this much? never. Chrissy felt bad when she saw my reaction. She hadn't intended to give me a gift that would make me feel bad but I assured her I would be alright and would make it through this terrifying ordeal. After all, that is what great friends are for, right? Supporting each other through the good, the bad, and the ugly. In this case, the hairy. Proverbs 27:6 is a great reminder to us that the wounds of a friend can be trusted. It is important to have a close friend, you can trust to wound you with honesty. Honesty filled with love and covered in grace. I am thankful for those friends I trust to help me see what I might not like at the moment, but, in the end will help me become the person God intended. I may not have liked what I saw when I opened that mirror but I was very thankful no one would be subjected to it any longer. I began to wonder what people focused on when I spoke. Did what they saw over shadow the words I spoke?
In the very same way that a mirror magnifies imperfections I have discovered that we can count on the Word of God to have the same effect. Hebrews 4:12-13 says: "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (NKJV). When I open His Word and begin to read, it pierces my heart. I see things about myself that I don't like. It is through His Word that I begin to see areas in my life that I need to adjust or make some radical changes to. It exposes what has been trying to hide itself from my view. That's what He meant for it to do. God's intent was for me to become more like Him and that requires a transformation. It was never God's will for me to twist His words so that I could be comfortable in my sin. It was also never His intent for me to open the Book and feel completely wretched, closing it with no hope of ever being "good enough." It was, however, His plan for me to understand that He shows me the areas that need a little work for my own good. I was born a sinner and in my natural man I want my sin because that is what is comfortable. But, I was saved by Jesus and have the very same Spirit that raised Him from the grave living within me. When I surrender to the Spirit of God, He gives me the strength to say no to the sin that wants to trap me. He wants me to become more like Him. And He wants me to live free from the bondage of my sin.
I encourage you to allow the Word of God become the magnifying mirror He uses to help you see the areas you might have been blind to. Allow Him to show you, through His Word, where you have been misled into believing all is perfectly fine when in reality you have been outside of His will. Let His Word reveal HIS truth to you. Allow it to help you remove those hidden, yet unwanted, areas that others might be staring at recognizing they aren't very attractive on you.
When I opened the mirror and saw my face magnified by 20%, I was mortified. Really. There is no other way to describe it. I saw pores which appeared to be the size of craters and along with the craters and even, protruding from the craters, facial hair I never knew existed. Psalm 45:5 says that "Grace is poured upon your lips..." I'll take that over what I saw poured upon mine. I had no idea that the mirror would reveal so much imperfection. I knew there would be some, but this much? never. Chrissy felt bad when she saw my reaction. She hadn't intended to give me a gift that would make me feel bad but I assured her I would be alright and would make it through this terrifying ordeal. After all, that is what great friends are for, right? Supporting each other through the good, the bad, and the ugly. In this case, the hairy. Proverbs 27:6 is a great reminder to us that the wounds of a friend can be trusted. It is important to have a close friend, you can trust to wound you with honesty. Honesty filled with love and covered in grace. I am thankful for those friends I trust to help me see what I might not like at the moment, but, in the end will help me become the person God intended. I may not have liked what I saw when I opened that mirror but I was very thankful no one would be subjected to it any longer. I began to wonder what people focused on when I spoke. Did what they saw over shadow the words I spoke?
In the very same way that a mirror magnifies imperfections I have discovered that we can count on the Word of God to have the same effect. Hebrews 4:12-13 says: "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (NKJV). When I open His Word and begin to read, it pierces my heart. I see things about myself that I don't like. It is through His Word that I begin to see areas in my life that I need to adjust or make some radical changes to. It exposes what has been trying to hide itself from my view. That's what He meant for it to do. God's intent was for me to become more like Him and that requires a transformation. It was never God's will for me to twist His words so that I could be comfortable in my sin. It was also never His intent for me to open the Book and feel completely wretched, closing it with no hope of ever being "good enough." It was, however, His plan for me to understand that He shows me the areas that need a little work for my own good. I was born a sinner and in my natural man I want my sin because that is what is comfortable. But, I was saved by Jesus and have the very same Spirit that raised Him from the grave living within me. When I surrender to the Spirit of God, He gives me the strength to say no to the sin that wants to trap me. He wants me to become more like Him. And He wants me to live free from the bondage of my sin.
I encourage you to allow the Word of God become the magnifying mirror He uses to help you see the areas you might have been blind to. Allow Him to show you, through His Word, where you have been misled into believing all is perfectly fine when in reality you have been outside of His will. Let His Word reveal HIS truth to you. Allow it to help you remove those hidden, yet unwanted, areas that others might be staring at recognizing they aren't very attractive on you.
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