Today I’m looking for a few people courageous enough to look into the mirror for a couple of minutes.  To make that a little easier and to prime the pump, you can stand behind me while I look in the mirror myself. 

This week I not only yelled at my own son over the phone, but I continued to escalate the volume when he refused to stop and listen.  Now what’s wrong with this picture? How effective is it for a father to yell at his son to “entice” him to stop talking and listen?  I’ll bet all of you “observers” can quickly list several more rational and effective ways to get someone to listen to you than what I did.

Next suppose that mirror I just glanced into followed me around for a day in the form of a “candid camera,” or maybe in the form of a buddy with a cell phone camera and took my picture every time I took someone for granted, displayed my prejudices, acted superior to someone, or just plain “walked by on the other side” oblivious or indifferent to someone’s devastating need.  Frankly I don’t want to see that growing stack of incriminating pictures!  But if I am to fulfill God’s will for me to become increasingly like His Son, He tells me to daily look into the mirror of His word, and be willing to let Him make changes.  A good first step is for Him to turn me upside down to pour out SELF, and then turn me inside out so there is room for Him inside. 

How can He do all that? He wants to fill me to overflowing with His Spirit that continually illumines spiritual eyes to how beautiful God’s only begotten Son really is.  “It is God who works in you to will and do of His good pleasure.”  Just like Jesus spent much time in prayer (His mirror to see and listen to His Father) so He could do and say what He saw His Father doing, we too must remember and do what we see Jesus doing and saying, in His word and through our prayer.

Looking and listening to Jesus gives us (and those around us) a foretaste of spending our eternity with our Holy and sinless God who never has to flinch from any mirror or picture.  He gives every human a choice of where to spend eternity: transformed and sinless in His presence, or selfishly demanding our own way, apart from Him.  The mirror of His word, daily snapping your picture with the Flash Bulb of the Holy Spirit, shows clearly whether you are walking toward and with Him, or remaining captive in your own dark corner.