Goodness Gracious: 14 Unfiltered Devotions for This Sometimes-Too-Serious LifeSample

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. ISAIAH 55:8 ESV

Let’s face it: mirrors are positively encouraging or blatantly horrifying. We can go from “goodness gracious, I look cute” in a dressing room, to thinking “never mind, I look like a potato” at home. A dimly lit mirror makes us believe our makeup is celebrity chic, but a brightly lit mirror can make us wonder if we actually belong in a carnival. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve freaked myself out in the morning, thinking a wigged-out lunatic must have broken into my house.

What we see shapes our perspective, or how we view things. However, because we are human, our perspective (unbeknownst to us) can be a deceiver. So often we see things in a way that is warped, distorted, or poorly illuminated due to our own shortcomings, hurts, and struggles. And if our perception toward something is even slightly skewed, it can lead us down a path of insecurity, judgmental thinking, and painful destruction. We must be careful with this. Focusing on a false reality long enough will eventually be seen as truth, and this will never produce God’s best for us.

So how on earth do we get out of this carnival funhouse filled with wacky mirrors? How do we know if our perspective is right, or if it’s totally and completely wonkadoodle?

Truth in our perspective is found by meditating on God’s Word and spending quality time with Jesus. Doing this is like looking in a different kind of mirror: a magnifying mirror. It zooms into the depths of our hearts with honesty and conviction. It amplifies every micro-zit, mole hair, and skin flake on our character that simply doesn’t belong. It reveals parts of our perceptions that might be true and other parts that are misconstrued. I don’t know about you, but putting my pride aside long enough to look into a spiritual magnifying mirror isn’t fun. But it helps me perceive myself, others, and life’s situations in a way that lines up with Scripture.

God wants to beautify our hearts and clarify our points of view. The right perspective, in all areas of your life, will change everything.

Lord, I ask that You adjust my mirrors. Help me see myself, others, and life's circumstances the way You do. Amen.