Reflection

As I age I realize the necessity of looking in the mirror prior to leaving my house. Recently I went to my eye exam and after I left I realized that I had a blob of toothpaste on the front of my blouse. Of course, I was totally embarrassed. It’s ironic that I went to an eye exam! When I was the principal of an alternative school I kept a mirror in my office. The girls loved it. They could make sure their lipstick was straight and their hair was exactly like they wanted in order to make a good presentation. However, many times I used that mirror as a teaching tool.

Whenever students repeatedly made bad decisions I had them look in the mirror. I asked them who they saw. Of course they said, “Me.” and I asked them who was responsible for this behavior and who did they have the power to change. All questions had the same answers. They could only change themselves. They couldn’t change others, as hard as they might try.

So what do we see in the mirror? Do we see a flawed person beyond repair? Do we see someone that God loves? The outside appearance is only a slight manifestation of what is on the inside. God reminded the Israelites that: “People look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7. God hasn’t changed. We look at the outside, the appearance. We want to be slim and trim or handsome and muscular. We want to be wrinkle-free. We want perfect vision and hair with no gray. If we looked at people from the inside out, what a difference that would make in our world.

I once told a student that she had a good heart. Outwardly she was an angry person. She was overweight and unattractive as far as the world judges. However, I knew she could rise above all that. She came back to me years later to tell me that she remembered me saying that to her. Her life hasn’t been perfect, but her life has been better. Let’s look at people and see that they are wise, or kind or funny or helpful. If God can see us through all of our sinful ugliness and still love us, who are we to do anything less?