"what do you see in your mirror?"
Just recently on my local news, a woman mentioned that for Lent, she was giving up looking in the mirror. She said that vanity can make us see things as being more about us and less about someone else. In a way, I agree with that. Woman's magazines have so many ads related to how we view our bodies, urging us to buy so many facial products and clothes, all with the hopes that we cave in and spend money. Once we have those products in hand, however, the thrill fades and off we go, as if searching for that Holy Grail of the fountain of youth once more. It detracts us from the more important things, namely, what others need and don't have. It clouds the disparities, thus making us blind to the wants of someone else.
I have a different idea. I encourage you to look in the mirror. Stare real hard, because what you see may surprise you. Do this: take a few minutes and look into your eyes. I mean, really look. Look past what you perceive as imperfections, don't dwell on the crow's feet, the laugh lines, the dark circles under your eyes. They do tell stories of their own, but we are going deeper. Look into your eyes. It is said that the eyes are the windows of our soul. What do you see there?
If you are like me, the last time I did this, I saw pain. Pain from the mistakes that I had made, mistakes that, even though I confessed them to God, I still feel some guilt for. I see the pain of promises that I made, both to myself and to others, that I may not have kept. I see actions that did not turn out as I had hoped. I saw pain from actions I made which were misinterpreted by others, thus causing them pain. It is a real eye opener to see where we can walk in our own shoes and ask ourselves how we can set things straight. However, it can be easy to stay so focused on what we have done wrong...and allow it to blind us, or we can now move on, beyond that and see just how Jesus has set us straight. In our relationship with Him, how many times has He picked you up, dusted you off and continued this walk with us? Many times! We need to remember this! Jesus is our constant companion, if we allow Him to be at our side. The story that best comes to mind is when the boat the disciples were in, suddenly came upon a squall in the lake. Jesus was instantly there, standing in the water. He called out to Peter to come follow Him. As long as Peter kept his eyes focused on Jesus, he did fine. It was when the full extent of what he was doing hit him that he sank down beneath the waves. (Read Matthew 14:22-33 for the full story.)
Keep focused on Jesus. It is perfectly alright to look at your mistakes, to do a self examination, but don't allow the despair of your missteps be the focus of your life! Let Jesus be your friend and companion. As long as He is there to walk alongside of you, those missteps will be fewer and far between.
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
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Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/albertcamu100779.html#svZsxSqOHLeDpdc3.99
“Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”― Albert Camus
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/albertcamu100779.html#svZsxSqOHLeDpdc3.99
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/albertcamu100779.html#svZsxSqOHLeDpdc3.99
So many of us self flagellate--we beat ourselves up over our mistakes. I like how you shifted the focus of this to looking upon Jesus. We are our own worst critic, as the story goes. It is important to view ourselves and examine our mistakes, thus to avoid making them again. But to stay focused on those mistakes just sets us up for failure. It is a delicate path we trod.
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