From Henry Roehrig

See and Reflect

MORE AND MORE INTO THE LIKENESS OF CHRIST

For a few years now, I have tried ignoring something reflected in the mirror when I get ready each morning: a slowly increasing number of white hairs. At first, it was only one or two – easy to ignore! I still have a long way to go for all my hair to change, but I can no longer pretend it is just a trick of the light. The mirror has a way of telling the truth we would rather not see. Its reflection points out tired eyes, changing bodies, lines we do not remember earning. And somewhere under all of that is a deeper question quietly rising, “Is this who I really am? Is this who I am becoming?”

What if the most important thing about us is not what we see reflected in the bathroom mirror, but whose beauty we are learning to see and reflect in our lives?

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT).

Leading up to this, Paul compares the old and new covenants. Under the old, Moses went up the mountain, met with God, received the law, and came back with a face that shone with reflected glory. The people feared the way his face shone, so Moses covered his face with a veil. Under the new, God writes on human hearts by the Spirit instead. In this verse, Paul is describing a different kind of mirror, where we look at Christ and slowly begin to reflect what we see.

Paul writes that now, in Christ, the veil has been removed for all of us, not just a chosen few. So, we really can see the Lord’s glory instead of keeping our distance. Because the Lord is present as the Spirit, we are reshaped so that, like a mirror catching the light, we begin to reflect the one we are looking at. Our bathroom mirrors show us what is changing on the outside, but this verse says that when we look to Christ, we begin to see and reflect a much deeper change on the inside, becoming more like Jesus, and reflecting his beauty and character.

The Greek word Paul uses here for “changed” is where we get our English word metamorphosis. It is a journey, like the caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Most of the change happens hidden away, slow and unseen, yet it is real and complete. In the same way, just as we only slowly notice the changes in our bathroom mirror, the Spirit’s work in us is often gradual and hidden; we might only notice it once we look back and realise that we are not who we once were.

When Paul refers to ‘mirrors’, he would have been picturing something different from us. Mirrors in his time were just polished metal, which gave a dim, imperfect reflection. We never see God fully in this life, either, but we do see enough of Christ to be changed by that vision. Today, we live surrounded by mirrors and screens; we are always looking at something. News, social media, bank balances, and others’ opinions all try to tell us who we are. This verse invites us to turn our gaze to Christ and let that be the truest reflection we live from.

This is very different from a self-improvement project. We are not driven by shame, pressure, or comparison. This is a Spirit-transformation rooted in love, patience, and relationship. “The Lord – who is the Spirit” is the active one here; our part is to keep turning toward Jesus with an unveiled face. Even if our growth feels slow, the promise to change us “more and more” into the likeness of Christ remains.

Reflect

• When you look in the mirror, what story are you telling yourself about who you are becoming, and where might you still be keeping parts of that story veiled from God or others?
• What are you most often fixing your attention on? Is it the news, social media, work, others’ approval, and how might that be shaping what you reflect to the world?
• What is one simple way you can look at Jesus more clearly, and one small way you can reflect his beauty to someone in your life?

Prayer

Thank you, God, that in Jesus the veil is taken away, and we are invited to come with open faces and open hearts. Help us to see your glory more clearly, your kindness, your justice, your mercy, your compassion. By your Spirit, make us increasingly more like Jesus. Challenge our thoughts, reactions, and habits so that when others look at our lives, they catch a glimpse of our hearts. Thank you that you are not finished with us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.