This #ThoughtfulThursday Isaac shares ‘Mirrors’, a short piece by Sue Wallace …

Mirrors

Look into your mirror at yourself. We do this so many times in our lives. Sometimes it’s for the sake of tidiness. Sometimes it’s purely vanity. Sometimes the mirror becomes our enemy, as we see all the things we hate about ourselves.

Now, take a long hard look in it without vanity, without false modesty, without fear… and ask God to show you how he sees you.

Look into your eyes. The retina at the back of your eye is unique, just like a fingerprint. You are a unique human being and God loves you.

Now look at some part of yourself you don’t like. We all have things we would like to change – things that make us feel inferior.

Now ask God how he feels about this part of you. Ask to see it through his eyes.

God’s idea of beauty isn’t the same as ours. Jesus said, ‘Look how the wild flowers grow: they do not work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers. It is God who clothes the wild grass – grass that is here today and gone tomorrow … Won’t he be all the more sure to clothe you?’ (Matthew 6:28-30 GNB).

Now look at some part of your body you feel you have wronged or mistreated in some way.

Paul said: ‘If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts share its happiness’ (1 Corinthians 12:26 GNB). Apologise to God for mistreating this unique part of his creation. And, if you can, make a resolution to be kinder to yourself in future.

Paul said we all became part of the same body – Christ’s body – when we were baptised. And we were given the same drink, the Holy Spirit. We’re all part of a larger body, and everything we do affects it too.

Look at yourself in the mirror once more, imagining that you are not alone. You are part of a bigger body; a larger, smiling face; an open, loving hand. And, if you feel you can, take your mirror and drop it into the font as a sign that you are washing away all your fears, pride, hang-ups and prejudices about your body, and joining a large, loving body that will never grow old or fade away.