James 1:22-25 (NIV)
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
Mirror, mirror who am I? Imagine not really knowing what you look like, and in that moment of finally seeing yourself, you were handed a cracked and dirty mirror. You really wouldn’t see yourself clearly, would you?
The cracks and missing pieces, the dirt and stains – they distort the way you look and how see yourself. If you set aside your family’s influence, childhood experiences, social pressure, different roles and hats worn in the past, and even the present season you are in —– who are you? What would you look like?
If you’d hear a voice through mirrors whenever you ask those daunting questions, whose voice would you hear? Is it your mom or dad’s? Is it your teacher or boss’? Is it a family member’s or a colleague’s? Is it your boyfriend’s, or husband’s?
Is it this celebrity / influencer you adore or is it your doctor’s? Is it the inner child that’s still wounded?
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? I thought this was a fictional question of the 50s. Today, you can replace ‘fairest’ with almost any word that fits the “world’s standards” – who’s the fittest, sexiest, smartest, prettiest, healthiest, most liked and followed, most accomplished, and so on… the list is endless!
If we keep looking at these mirrors created by the world, we won’t just hear voices of disapproval or comparison. Looking at these mirrors will show us the things we lack, attributes we don’t have, and who we are not.
These mirrors of the world were created to define superficial perfection that when we look at them too often, we will always find ourselves insecure, lacking, undesirable, unwanted, inept, and unworthy.
It’s not easy to break all these mirrors that used to define, influence, and hurt us. But when we are born again in Christ, He promises us a way because he IS the way, and His ways are found in His Word that is within reach.
His Word is our mirror. It doesn’t only show us who we are and what we look like. It gives us the most pristine image of Christ – who we belong to, and the likeness we should aspire for.
It reveals, searches, and corrects our hears. It reframes, aligns, and influences our thoughts through the Advocate, His Spirit, that gives us wisdom and understanding. When we know where to look, we need not worry about these questions of world.
James 1:22-25 encourages us to be doers of the word while providing clear instructions on how to do it. When we “look intently” into His perfect law, we don’t forget what we look like.
Looking intently means meditating on His word day and night, just as we are told in Joshua 1:8 (1) and Psalms 1:2-3 (2) . The bible may seem overwhelming sometimes, and it does look like a tall order to be blameless and upright, as doers of the Word.
But His Word is the only mirror that comes with instructions, promises, miracles, stories, revelations, and wonders that clearly show us the way, truth and life. His Word is the only mirror we cannot bend or break. It cannot be stained by anyone or anything. It cannot be silenced, and it will stand the test of time.
When the world’s mirrors are too tempting to glance at – come instead to the throne of grace.
Boldly claim it, “Mirror, mirror show me my maker!”,
look intently – He will not hide His face.
Joshua 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Psalms 1:2-3 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers
