Blog Contributor: David Branderhorst
When was the last time you really stared into a mirror? I don’t mean looking at your hair or complexion. I’m talking about taking a deep, hard look into the face of the person gazing back at you every morning. If you are like most people, it has probably been awhile.
I ask because over the past several days, God has been pressing part of a verse onto my heart, found in Romans 1:23 “…and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man…”
What does this verse have to do with looking into a mirror? A lot, actually. You see, far too much of my life has been built around the image that I see reflected back at me. On too many occasions, I placed my trust in that man and the talents and abilities that went along with him.
But it wasn’t supposed to be this way. I was created in God’s image, not my own. I was to live my life through His strength, not mine. So why don’t I do it? Why do I first and foremost rely on myself to meet my needs?
I believe it all comes back to love. Even though God has told me of His great love for me many times in His Word, I don’t believe it to the degree I need to. It hasn’t sufficiently soaked into the deepest recesses of my heart. If it had, I would never worry. I would never grow frustrated. I would never get down when things don’t go my way.
Yet all of those things show up in my life from time to time. They are tangible proof of my lack of faith. This is why I trust the image in my mirror, rather than God.
What about you? When you look into the mirror, what image do you see? Do you see the person you trust for your life? Or do you see someone in need of forgiveness? A person who desperately needs the glory of God’s image to be restored in their life?
