A True Reflection

I've had a sticky smudge across my bedroom mirror for a few weeks now and, in my laziness, I have just ignored it.

 

I kept forgetting it as it's only obvious when I'm sitting on my bed - I haven't really noticed it when I'm standing up at the mirror.

 

However, when I was sitting down, I couldn't really see myself properly.  I could still make myself out, but my image was blurred.  It wasn't a true reflection.

 

In the same way, my view of myself in a spiritual or emotional way is often blurred by 'smudges'.  Smudges caused by circumstances, or failures, or flaws, or doubts, or what others think of me, or even what I think others think of me.

 

They distort my image of myself.

 

And they are not a true reflection of how God sees me.

 

And sometimes they distort my image of God and His goodness and His faithfulness too.

 

Two nights ago as I sat on my bed I noticed the smudge on my mirror again, and something shifted this time; something roused me from my lazy apathy.  I got the polish and duster and vigorously cleaned the whole mirror.

 

Until I could see myself clearly.

 

In the same way, sometimes I need to give my spiritual 'mirror' a good clean to get rid of the dirt and grime that stops me from seeing myself the way that God does.

 

The Bible is clear about how precious and loved we are in God's sight, in spite of our faults and failings.  Paul writes,

"God chose you to be the holy people he loves."

[Colossians 3:12 NLT]

 

And Zephaniah describes God's love and delight in us -

 

          "He will take delight in you with gladness.
          With his love, he will calm all your fears.
          He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."

 

          [Zephaniah 3:17 NLT]

 

 

This is how I want to see myself.  This is what I want to see and know and believe when I look in the mirror.  I want to see myself the way God does.  But sometimes, in order to do that, we need to take a good long look at the mirror and give it a good clean first.

 

 

 

Truth and Fear

Most students become firm friends with J.B. Fletcher, Dr Mark Sloane, Poirot and the cast of Neighbours and Doctors during their time at University.  For me, my relationship with J.B. is one that has lasted long after graduation and I still find myself enjoying 'Murder She Wrote' when it's on TV.

 

Whilst we have established a strong bond, it is not often that Jessica Fletcher speaks into my life.  However, I have just flicked the TV on to find myself half-way through an episode.  I haven't yet figured out what's going on or who's been accused of doing what to whom, but today, J.B.'s insightful and deductive powers have spoken straight to my heart.

 

Whilst interviewing one woman, she said -

"Why are you so afraid of telling me the truth?"

 

Shortly followed by,

"It seems that you're afraid of telling me something.  What are you leaving out?"

 

Why are you so afraid of telling me the truth?  What are you leaving out?

 

We all have things that we don't want other people to know.  We all edit and reshape and rephrase the 'truth' to make it more palatable.  For ourselves and for others. 

 

And we can edit the truth when we talk to God, too.  We can diminish our pain or our anger or our disappointment.  We can edit out our frustration with Him, or our doubt in His goodness.  We can sugar-coat the guilt we feel and disguise our need for His forgiveness.

 

But God desires us to be truthful, in the deepest, rawest of places -

 

        "What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
        Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life."

 

        [Psalm 51:6 MSG]

 

We can be scared of God and other people knowing the real truth about us, because we fear that we will be rejected - we won't be good enough.

 

We are afraid.

 

But the Bible says,

"There is no room in love for fear.  Well-formed love banishes fear.  Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love."

 

[1 John 4:18 MSG]

 

When we begin to grasp the depths of God's unconditional love for us, we don't need to be afraid.  We can tell the true truth about ourselves to God and others - even J.B. Fletcher.