The Mirror

This last weekend I was able to pull away from the busy whirlwind of life and take some time to be with God.

I sat beside a beautiful babbling brook in the fresh morning air and prayed about the state of my heart – asking Jesus to show, to reveal my heart. To look in a mirror and see what He really sees when He looks at me.

Truth be told, I was afraid of the mirror.  Some mornings I don’t like the physical mirror. So I definitely didn’t want to look into a spiritual one.

I was afraid of the reflection that I assumed would be there.

You see, I feel like I’m sort of a broken-glued-back-together person. And it had been awhile since I had looked into the mirror. It had been awhile since I had looked into His eyes and asked what He saw in me.

Life has a way of pushing us, prodding us, and sometimes breaking us.  Sometimes I look at where I am in life and feel confused. This isn’t exactly how I had pictured it going. I’m guessing you might relate, friend. Whether it’s big things or small things, we all can start to feel like we’re just glued back together, and although functional, not very pretty. Events and people in our lives can have a way of changing us…and for me, I feel so different that I guess I assumed my reflection must be pretty scarred.

But, fears aside, I sat on that bench by a serene creek in the middle of the woods, let down my guard, and asked my God to show me.

I was praying, and all of a sudden was struck at how beautiful my surroundings were.

It was just stunning. The sunlight refracted across the plants and weeds, pulling forth a vivid green. The moss-covered boulders jutted out from the ground, telling the water which way to flow. The low hanging trees seemed to admire their reflection in the pools around the edges. The air was fresh and full of earthy goodness. The creek gurgled soothingly as it passed me by.

The birds sang while my God nudged me to truly see.

And that’s when He showed me the mirror.

This scene I sat in was so life-giving, so beautiful, and yet so not perfect. It was actually full of disorder. Broken pieces of rocks everywhere in no particular order. Splashing water flowed over broken places. Moss, a fungus growing, unruly vines and weeds sprouted all over. A tree stump spoke of life cut down. Even mud and bugs.

And yet Beauty.

Not manufactured beauty, but true beauty. Unique beauty. Restored beauty.

Friend, it is just so with you and with me. He takes our broken places and restores them into beautiful places that are life-giving to those around us.

This place, was unique. Although I could find thousands of other beautiful places in nature, not one of them would be identical to this.  No one else can look like you. Your beauty, your true beauty, your restored beauty is unique. Your restored self is what people need because it is life-giving.

Restoration in one of my favorite characteristics of God. Until I sat beside that creek this weekend, I had forgotten that our heart reflections, if we are submitted to Him, will simply reveal His endless faithfulness to restore beauty.

-Kallie