Mirror, Mirror

 

I would imagine the majority of folks reading today's Flat Tire Thought could finish out the title’s quote from the Disney classic Snow White. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" The wicked queen glared into the magical mirror each day seeking an assurance that she was the most beautiful lady in all the land. She depended on that mirror to provide her with a false sense of security about who she was and how she was perceived by all that saw her. We don't have a "magical mirror" per say, yet King Solomon did provide us with a thought to be mindful of regarding our reflection. In Proverbs 27:19 Solomon wrote "As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart." A still, pool of water can provide a reflection of your face in the water much like a mirror, and for Solomon that same type of reflection is offered by looking at a person's life to see where their heart lies. Today I pose the question, what does your heart reflect based on your life and the priorities you have set?

 

As I was putting my thoughts together for today's message, the Aesop's Fable about the dog with a bone who saw his reflection in a pool of water kept coming to mind, so I'm going with it. Just as the wicked queen called on her magical mirror to calm insecurities about herself, the greedy dog in the fable saw a dog with a bone in the pool of water and he wanted more than he already had. Both stories speak to the dilemma we find our society trapped in today. The drive to obtain more in life is one that can taint the true purpose of what we were actually called to do with the life God gave us to live. When we place all of our attention on ourselves we lose perspective of all that God has equipped us with to do for others. Hence Solomon's warning that the life we live out will be a direct reflection of where our heart is in relationship to God's purpose. 

 

What do you see when you look in a mirror? As we leave the house in the morning one of the last things we do is look in a mirror to see if everything is in the right place. Hair combed and styled, face clear of breakfast crumbs, or possibly a quick glance to assure the buttons are aligned and the necktie is straight. What if that same mirror could give us a reflection of what our priorities for the day were going to be? Would our reflection reflect mercy and grace as it has been shown to us? Would we see a person sacrificing for the sake of others, or would our image reflect our own personal agenda and the greed associated with that type of lifestyle? 

 

As Solomon reminded us, the life we live will reflect our heart. Once, Jesus was questioned by a young lawyer about how he could gain eternal life. In a nutshell Jesus told him that if he must love the Lord God almighty with all his mind, body, soul, and heart and to love his neighbor as himself. (Luke 10:25-37). The lawyer replied with the question, who is my neighbor to which Jesus provided him the parable of the Good Samaritan. At the end of that dialogue Jesus asked the lawyer who was the neighbor to the man who fell victim to the robbers in the parable, to which the lawyer obviously chose the man who had had compassion on the victim and helped him in his time of need. In other words, the man whose heart caused him to put the needs of another in front of his own. When the Samaritan looked in the mirror he saw the needs of someone other than his own image. 

 

That is the type of image I want to see when I look in the mirror. Does my reflection always reflect the image of a giver and a servant? No, I am human, we are all human, and thus we will all fall short. But, we have been shown grace and mercy that we did not earn or deserve which gives us hope for tomorrow. That same grace and mercy God offers each of us is the same mercy and grace that we can shower down on others for God's kingdom. My prayer is that when I look in the mirror today, I don't see a self-centered image, but instead I want my life's reflection to be one that chases after the heart of God. May we serve more than we are served, may we give more than we receive, and may we forgive more than we have been forgiven! When we look in the mirror, may we see the heart of God alive in us. 

 

Coach Carter