Becoming a Reflection of Jesus

Having a way to see yourself as others see you can be a good thing.

Just ask anyone who has taken the time to glance in a mirror before a public event, saving themself the embarrassment of having others see food stuck in their teeth or some other issue revealed without their knowledge.

Mirrors can be a good thing, but we tend to think we don’t really need them when we’re alone. 

Sometimes we don’t need a mirror at all to know how we look. All we need to do is look into the eyes of others to see our true reflection.

Have you ever said something to another person and, because of their reaction, instantly regretted it?

Me too.

Seeing pain appear in their eyes made me want to take my words back, something we all know is simply not possible.

Seeing their pain taught me more about myself than it did about them. I saw how my words were a reflection of my heart. 

When my words aren’t kind, it’s usually because my heart, a place where I long ago invited Jesus to take over full control, has become filled with my own selfish desires.

Seeing myself the way others see me can be painful, causing me to desperately want to look away from my own reflection, but I should always remember that, as a Christian, my life reflects my faith.

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and Redeemer.” 

Psalm 19:14

There are other times too, those times when I receive praise, that I don’t like what my reflection reveals.

Even though, through the eyes of someone else, I possess seemingly positive attributes that are worthy of praise, I know the truth.

I know what lives in the depths of my heart. I know so much more about myself than the person who so readily uses words to build me up.

These times it’s shame I see in my reflection, shame I know that I deserve. It tends to reveal itself to me when I see myself through the lens of someone unaware of the ugliness that resides in my heart.

You see, like most of us, I do my best to look presentable. I wear my best clothes, use make-up to cover flaws and accentuate my better features, and do what I can to tame my unruly hair.

I often look in the mirror and find myself pleased at the person I see reflected back at me, but if I allow my gaze to linger, the condition of my heart reveals itself through my thoughts, words, and actions. And this shows me who I really am.

Throughout my day, as I allow my thoughts to gather strength before they escape my heart and leave my mouth, I’m allowing myself as well as the world to see who I really am. 

I want to be careful with my reflection.

I want to behave in such a way that others see Jesus before they have a chance to focus on me.

No amount of fashion sense will help me achieve this. If I want my life to reflect Jesus, I need to spend time with Him. Doing this will allow His character to rub off on me while He also takes away everything I don’t want others to see.

He can change my heart, making my reflection more about Him and less about me.

I would like to get so close to Jesus that I begin to look like Him.

I wonder if it’s possible to get to the point where I become invisible, making the reflection that others see no longer about me.

I want to fade away a little more every day as Jesus shows up in the mirror, taking the place where I used to be.