Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
James 1:25
I’m at that age! The age where I am suddenly and painfully aware of my face. I’m in my early fifties now, and each time I look in the mirror, I feel like there are newly acquired lines, dents, dimples, wrinkles, and other saggy bits that I never noticed before. Some people like to euphemistically refer to them as “laugh lines”, but I’m not entirely sure these lines came as the result of years of gleeful, giddy laughter. No, these lines were earned. Hard fought and won through the ups and downs of life. I stare at my reflection in the mirror, and I’m sometimes caught off guard by how bedraggled and war-torn I look. What happened to me? Is that really my face? Do I always look like this? And I’ll admit that I’m quick to fall prey to the latest creams and serums that promise to magically erase all of the tangled, etched highways across my forehead. When I catch a glimpse of my haggard reflection, I have a choice: I can walk away, ignoring what I saw, or I can pause and examine.
My spiritual life is very much the same as my crow’s feet. When I catch a glimpse into my heart, when sin rears its ugly head, I can walk away in ignorance and denial, or I can let God do His very best cosmetic work in my soul. And sometimes those procedures are painful and require healing time and wound care. This week’s theme is all about self-examination. That process of taking more than a cursory glance to correct bad habits, refocus our vision, and set straight our wayward, undisciplined hearts. We’ll be looking at a few key areas in our lives that frequently need a cosmetic “glow up”: confession, our urgency to share Jesus, plucking out deeply rooted sin, forgiveness of others who have hurt us, and what it really means to “work out” our faith.
As I’ve gotten older (and hopefully wiser!) I’ve realized that I have a lot of spiritual baggage. Long ago, I packed my bags with habits and behaviors that have been deeply etched into my daily living. I didn’t think much about those habits, and their existence was a quiet but burdensome presence. Spiritual clutter. But now that I’m older, I’m realizing that those bags are too heavy to keep carrying around, all while I’m proclaiming Christ as my Savior. It’s time to do the hard work of unpacking those loathsome bags so I can walk in the freedom that Christ has given me. I need to take a hard look in the mirror – not backing away in repulsion, but looking headlong into the habits that have become comfortable to me – and then allowing God to use a scalpel on those spots. I’m in desperate need of a little spiritual “rejuvenation”.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
The book of James is filled with practical applications for every Christian, but Chapter 1 is especially important. James encourages his readers not to be simply hearers of the Word, but also doers. That means you might need more than a glance in the mirror as you rush by. We must all absorb the Lord’s instruction, take it to heart, reorder our habits, and apply these truths in our daily lives.
PRAYERFather, we come before You with old habits that are frayed and tattered. They are not the best reflection of Your Son. Let us not deceive ourselves, but look boldly in the mirror so we may be changed from the inside out.
Christa has been married to Greg for 25 years, and they have one son, Palmer, who is a junior in college. She loves women’s ministry, teaching art to homeschooled children, and whipping up fantastic recipes in her kitchen. If she could pack up her church family and move to coastal South Carolina… she’d do it in a heartbeat.
Are there other women in your life who could benefit from a daily dose of encouragement? Forward this email so they can click on this link to Subscribe to Daily Treasure to be better equipped to walk by faith on the pathway God has marked out for them.
Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
