Gaze Into the Mirror

If you've heard me speak before, you've probably heard me tell stories about
mixing up my makeup. Yes, I have on occasion mixed up my eye liner and lip
liners because I couldn't see into a mirror to behold the strange distortion I
was creating.

Because the story of my makeup mishap is familiar to so many, I completely blew
off the constructive criticism that Lucy Swindoll offered to me one evening
right before I went on stage at a _Women of Faith_
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9nkz8ubab.0.8yz9eqbab.becznmbab.1844&p=http://www.women\
offaith.com) conference.

Your eyes don't match she flatly advised.

Yeah, right! I quipped. I was sure she was trying to capitalize on my story or
maybe just trying to keep me relaxed before I spoke.
Very funny, I retorted.

But Lucy sounded completely serious. No, she insisted, really, one is black,
and one is brown! That impossible! I replied.
That funny and mischievous Lucy was not going to get the best of me on this
one!

Jennifer, I am serious, she said as maternally and authoritatively as possible.
Ask Nicole.

And so I turned to _Nicole Johnson_
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9nkz8ubab.0.rbg96ubab.becznmbab.1844&p=http://www.fresh\
brewedlife.com/) , the talented dramatist on the Women of Faith team, and before
I could ask, she gasped, She's right! One is black and one is brown! I opened
my make-up bag and sure enough, I had two different eyeliner pencils! One
black, one brown. (Note to the
visually impaired reader: Never carry two different shades of eye liner in the
same makeup bag!)

It is true, I have not been able to see into a mirror since I was fifteen and
lost the majority of my sight. Of course, even though I joke about my many
mishaps, I would love to be able to look into a mirror to see what I look like.
I would much prefer to choose my own hair style or blush color. And yes,
eyeliner! What woman wouldn't?

But even though that reality is frustrating, it causes my eyes to gravitate to
a mirror that I can see. In fact, the mirror I look into now shows me exactly
what I look like, exactly who I am. It is the mirror of God's Word. My blind
eyes can see 20/20 as I gaze into its light. I may not see my physical image in
the bathroom mirror, but in God's mirror, I can see that I am created in God's
image! I know from Ephesians 2:10 that I am the very workmanship of Creator God.

Have you looked in that mirror lately? Gaining God’s perspective on who we
are keeps us from an inflated or deflated view of ourselves and allows us to
assess ourselves in The Light of His Word.

Physical mirrors can't reflect truth; they only offer optical illusion. Only
the mirror of God's Word reflects truth, because it is truth. It grants you a
right perspective of yourself as it reveals a true view of your Father.

But don't just look at the mirror; look into it. Gaze long and hard, the way
you do when you are applying eye shadow or fixing your hair. The way a man does
when he is shaving around those small creases and tiny lines.

The Bible is like a telescope, Philip Brooks wrote. If a man looks
through his telescope, then he sees the worlds beyond; but if he looks at his
telescope, then he does not see anything but that. The Bible is a thing to be
looked through, to see that which is beyond; but most people only look at it;
and so they see only the dead letter.

He's right. How much we miss if we only look at the Word, giving it just a
passing glance. Look into it, gaze, and feed on it like Jeremiah and you will
experience the same joy he wrote about.

When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I
bear your name, O LORD God Almighty (Jeremiah 15:16)."

Blessings and Joy,
Jennifer Rothschild
Author of _Lessons I Learned in the Dark_
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9nkz8ubab.0.h4n7bqbab.becznmbab.1844&p=http://www.jenni\
ferrothschild.com/albums.htm) ,
and Founder of _WomensMinistry.NET_
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9nkz8ubab.0.wiov9nbab.becznmbab.1844&p=http://www.women\
sministry.net)
_http://www.jenniferrothschild.com_
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9nkz8ubab.0.9iov9nbab.becznmbab.1844&p=http://www.jenni\
ferrothschild.com)
JR@...


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