Mirror on the Wall

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJ)

Some of my greatest epiphanies happen in the bathroom. Have you ever noticed that peculiarity too? For some reason, with the door closed and the world shut out for a bit, you enter a time of routine and your mind begins to consider things. Maybe it’s just the fact that the distractions are gone. Maybe it’s because you’re looking at things more closely.

There is a mirror in front of you. What do you see? Imperfections? Changes occurring? Things that should probably be taken care of? We start by looking at our own faces, but then we move to look deeper at what’s behind our eyes, at our thoughts and the burning questions tugging at our heart.

I recently stumbled across something in the Bible I’ve never seen before. Did you know that Paul referenced a mirror two different times in his letters to the church in Corinth? I’ve read them both several times over the years, but never realized they were two different verses with two different points of view. Paul begins by showing us in 1 Corinthians 13:12 how we are looking for certain answers and understanding, but don’t yet have the ability to see them clearly: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly….” Then later in 2 Corinthians 3:18, he unfolds the promise that there is hope—that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will begin to see the truth. As we surrender our motives and ideas, grow older in Him spiritually and become transformed, we will see things differently.

At this time, the mirror you’re looking in may not reveal things clearly, but there is hope. There are answers. Perhaps the mirror needs to be cleaned (some “stuff” needs to be dealt with). Perhaps you need a mirror with high magnification (the Holy Spirit needs to become front and center and show the real truth). Perhaps the mirror is broken and cracked beyond human repair (you need restoration that only the Lord can provide). Regardless of the mirror in front of you right now, Jesus is the only mirror that shows who you were truly designed to be.

Dearest Lord, You know what I need to know, You know what I need to see. Reveal to me first the simplicity of just knowing You and then let me see my own image, inside and outside, through Your eyes. I now set You before me as my mirror. Amen.