REFLECTIONS...

James 1:22-25 & Luke 6:47-49
       Personally, I don't like mirrors. I tolerate them because they are a necessity for personal grooming and making oneself presentable for public viewing (although I do wonder if some people even own one!).
    I don't like mirrors because they are just too honest. Mirrors reveal exactly what they reflect. Sometimes, that's a good thing because mirrors help us to make necessary adjustments, a smudge here, a hair out of place there, etc. Mirrors faithfully point out our imperfections prompting us to do something about them. Mirrors make me see me.
      For the same reason, some people don't like the Bible. Like a mirror shows us the outside, the Bible shows our inside, our spiritual reflection. James 1:22-25 tells us that God's Word is like a mirror, reflecting our true selves, showing us for what we really are on the inside. Once revealed, we are faced with the choice of whether we are going to do something about what we see.
      Luke 6:47-49 reminds us of Jesus' teaching concerning our responsibility concerning the Word of God. We either implement God's Truth into our lives and build thereon, or we don't. Storms are going to come either way, but it's the strength of the foundation that determines how we weather those storms.
         Now, I love the Word of God because as I learn to obey it's precepts and principles, I become a better man. It does it's work from the inside out so that I may reflect more of Him Who lives within and hopefully, people will see Jesus in me.
       There are still times that God's Word reflects something that needs correcting on the inside. When this happens, I sincerely try to make the necessary changes...But, when I see my physical self reflected and see the thinning on top and the receding hair line, the thickening around the middle, the "maturity spots", the grey hair...I still don't like mirrors!

      Helen Howarth Lemmel wrote the words and music to "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" in 1918, after reading a Christian tract titled "Focus". Maybe, if we will keep our eyes more on Him and less on ourselves, that which is reflected may be more of Him and less of us.