Can it be possible to be formed and fashioned in the image of our Father, and yet be repulsed by what you see before you? When you look in the mirror, do you wish that you and the person you are looking at were different? How often do you look at yourself in disappointment and embarrassment? Surely, as people of God, we are taught to shun such ideals and “count it all joy.” But, what do you do when who you are is not good enough?
Christians are taught that we are created after the very image of God. We have been created to have dominion in this world and over everything that we do. But, what do you do when we kick, scratch and claw for things that seemingly will never come to pass? Where can we go when you look at yourself and feel as if failure will be your only achievement? When you look in the mirror, whether it be literal or figurative, do you like what you see?
In my saved and sanctified life, I have looked upon myself with repulsion. I can truthfully say that in my few days as a Christian, I have been forced to take a true inventory of who I truly am. I have to take into account my thoughts, my actions, my ideologies and my mistakes. One day, while enveloped into my morning routine, I was stopped dead in my tracks. As the toothpaste lather dripped into the sink, I paused to look at myself. What I saw was someone who I hated draped in the skin of someone who I thought I loved. I peered into the eyes of a man who felt like a letdown. The eyes of a defeated foe looked back at me with quiet discontent. In one instant, I glared into the eyes of a molested child, a wayward teen and a puzzled adult. In one instant, I glared into the eyes of a fatherless child, a homeless teen and a misguided adult. And in one instant, I was in silent fellowship with a castigated boy, a suffering son and a frightened father.
How is it possible to feel this way? Christ died so that every sin that we committed yesterday is washed away in His precious blood. Christ died so that every sin that we commit today can be forgiven instantaneously, with no possibility of ever being reminded of it again. Christ died so that every sin that we commit tomorrow is accounted for and excused without forethought. He took every sin of your heart, mind and body, placed them on His back and carried the weight that your shoulders were never built to endure. The weight of sin crushes the soul, debilitates the mind and destroys your indwelling spirit. Yet, Christ is our redeemer, our liberator and the hope of every person that has ever drawn a breath. So, what do you do when all that you are is not all you want to be?
Imagine yourself as an abundantly rich person. You sleep on pure silk and slide from one side of the bed to the next with every snore. You reside in a sprawling mansion, fully equipped with swimming pool, tennis court, immaculately kept grass, five garages with two cars in each and a boat that is monstrous in its very structure. Your body is adorned with worldly treasures, and the skin and fur of exotic animals covers your feet and back. Everything is going your way and the world is your proverbial playpen. In spite of all of that, you look in the mirror and want to break the glass because of what is before you. Yes, you can have the finest suit, the most beautiful hairdo and the adoration of many people around you and feel like the mud that most people step on. It is possible to have the outward appearance of a Mercedes-Benz and the inner confidence of a Ford Pinto. It is possible to have many bodies around you, and yet be as lonely as a person with no home to call their own. You can be set upon a high pedestal one moment, and be a fallen star the next.
I am calling out that person that would rather walk through the glass than actually look at the person in it. I am calling out the person whose self-image has been denied self-imagination. I am calling out the person who is fresh and alive on the outside, but is a dried-up tree on the inside. I want to bring water to every desiccated, dehydrated and thirsty leaf that is inside of you. Jesus Christ is living water. He is the well that you drink from and never become parched again. He is the healing for the sick, the way for the lost and the pain medicine for the hurt. He is the laughter when your soul cannot cry another tear. He is the master puzzle-solver when pieces of your spirit is scattered across the tumults of this world. He is the soft touch in your heart when the world is hard and unkind.
Loneliness is not lonely anymore when Christ enters into the picture. Pain becomes painless when Christ is the midst of your soul. Anger angers itself by merely existing when Christ steps into our emotions. Failure fails to survive when Christ becomes the focal point of your endeavors. More importantly, love and the fullness of its immeasurable dimensions come to life when Christ is birthed in your heart. Today, look in the mirror with the eyes of Christ. Do not reach for the window cleaner or wipe the steam away after the shower. What do you see? I promise you that in His eyes, you are a precious jewel, an image of undaunted perfection, and most notably, His child. What can be better than that?