Distorted Views – Day 9

When you look in the side view mirror of your car, most of them have the words “objects are closer than they appear.”  In other words, if you think you have room, you might find you’ve hit the car next to you.  The mirror can be deceiving.  It is made to help you see around but not be exact.  It is a little distorted so you might have a different view to help you drive.  

I think many of our mirrors in our homes have distorted views as well.  I don’t mean we live in a home of fun house mirrors (wouldn’t that be interesting?).  I don’t even mean our mirrors are shaped weird or have odd contours.  I mean what we see in the mirror isn’t necessarily the truth of who we are.  

Many of us look in the mirror and see aging, problems, receding hairlines, and even things that just make us upset.  We see the extra weight or sagging skin we keep hidden from other people.  We see all the things we wish weren’t there, or at least we wish were there better.  We are often critical and harsh.  We nit-pick what is in the mirror, something we would not (and should not) do to someone else.  We even say mean things to ourselves, critical harmful things.  

Our mirrors are not telling us the truth.  Sure, what we may see could be technically there.  But it isn’t the whole picture.  It is our view of the truth.  What are we missing?  We are missing who we actually are – a beloved child of God.  We don’t always see how perfect we are in the eyes of our Creator.  We don’t usually see the light in us or the beauty inside.  We miss how we were shaped and molded by God who thought so much of us he made us just the way we are.  

Are there things we could do better?  Absolutely.  We can take care of this creation of God.  We can eat well, exercise, sleep better, and all the things to care for this life we are given.  But we can also take a moment to see who we really are, flaws and all – a gift of God.  That’s right – YOU are a gift of God.  

Maybe the next time you look in the mirror, stop focusing on all the things you would change and see who God sees – his child.  

Hear these words for you written in Psalm 139, ¹³ For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
¹⁵     My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
    all the days that were formed for me,
    when none of them as yet existed.