A Mirror Image by Tom Brown

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:23-25) What is the purpose of a mirror? It is to show you what you look like. James likens God’s Word to a mirror. You remember Snow White? The wicked step mother said to the mirror, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” A mirror talks back to us. The mirror tells us who we are! God tells us who we are! Many have voices echoing through their minds, like a repeated tape player, constantly telling them who they are. Unfortunately, many of those voices are not of God. They came from authority figures—parents, teachers, ministers—or from peers. They often spoke lies to them. Our goal is to differentiate between the lies we have accepted and the truth of the gospel. Many still hold to the lies of the enemy. They allow the devil to destroy any sense of self esteem and thus any hope for happiness. Notice that James says when we do the Word we will be blessed in what we do. It is not simply hearing the Word that changes our image, but doing it. We feel good about ourselves when we have acted on the Word of God. I always feel good about myself when I forgive, when I love others and do them good. Yet, I feel rotten when I am embittered or mean to others. There is no point to try to develop a positive self image without practicing the Word. The Word—like a mirror—will point out changes you need to make. You look in a mirror and notice your hair is messed up. The mirror will help you comb it and make yourself look better, and thus you will feel better about yourself. The Bible often points out the changes you need to make, not so God can condemn you, but that you can change, and thus by changing feel good about yourself. Read more articles by Tom Brown