Looking in the Mirror!

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Recently, we’ve noticed a little sparrow (or maybe there’s more than one) that keeps coming to sit on or near the sideview mirrors of our cars when they are parked in the driveway.  It will look into the mirror and then into the car window and then into the mirror again. It will begin to chirp at its reflection or move back and forth towards its reflection. It seems that the sparrow, when it sees its reflection, thinks that it is interacting with another bird. It is really quite amusing to watch.

The sparrow doesn't realize it is seeing itself!

Like that little bird, most people seem to be attracted to mirrors. Think about how you respond or what you do when you pass by a mirror. I’m pretty sure most of us can’t help but at least take a glance at ourselves.   And, mirrors are a help when we are fixing our hair or getting dressed for the day. We have a mirror right by our front door that is great for making sure one is ready to step out into the day.  Imagine, however, looking into a mirror and seeing some dirt on your face or your hair out of place, but not doing anything about it.  We might ask, what good was the mirror? What good is looking into a mirror if you don’t fix your hair or the collar on your shirt—or, whatever it is that needs to be corrected? What good is a mirror if it has no effect on us?

Did you know that, God’s Word, the Bible, is meant to be a mirror that we hold up to our lives? It shows us how we are doing in life—what we are doing well and where it is we might be failing. It’s a wonderful mirror that God has given to us to help us learn to live the way we ought to live. But, we need to put it to use by looking into it and then responding to what we see or don’t see.

In the Bible we read these words, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” (James 1:22-24 – NIV) The picture that James gives to us seems almost ridiculous—i.e. forgetting what one looks like. Yet, all too often that is the way it is. We read God’s Word or hear it taught—i.e. we look into the mirror—but, we fail to obey it by following through on what it shows us about ourselves. 

I want to encourage you today to look into the mirror of God’s Word and then respond to what it shows you about yourself. Maybe there’s some things in your life that need to be adjusted or cleaned up. Or, maybe it will just remind you of what is and ought to be. In either case, let’s not just be hearers of the Word, but people who will allow it to impact the way it is we live our lives.

Have a great day!

Pastor Tim Harris