I bought a standing mirror the other day. I needed, well actually, I wanted one that would match the oil rubbed bronze fixtures in the décor of my new bedroom. Plus, I needed a stand alone magnifying mirror for the purpose of make-up application. It has a magnifying strength of 7X. At that strength things are brought into focus that I am not sure that I really want to see! I don’t think that I am too different from most people in that when I look in the mirror I have a tendency to focus on all of the imperfections….all of the things that I would change if I truly could. We use makeup as a tool to enhance, hide or fix the image that we see. That got me thinking about seeing myself clearly, not just that image in the mirror, but deeper…the part of me that I really want people to see and “value”. That word, “value” resonated with something inside of me. It touched a deep pain that has lingered for years hidden deep within. Maybe I equate it with being loved. I know that I don’t always see anything special, anything to really be “valued” about me…so could it be that I don’t really feel loved or perhaps I don’t really even know what it looks like. I saw it out there in the ways that people would relate to one another, but it just wasn’t part of my own personal experience. My reality didn’t match. I had a roof over my head, I was fed, I didn’t come from a divorced family….so I must be “loved”….right? But do those things shelter your heart and feed your soul? I am struggling for words because this is something that is still being uncovered, something that I don’t yet fully understand but that I want to grasp so that the image that I see reflected will be a correct representation of who I am.
I had an amazing conversation with a friend who always brings thoughts into focus in my life. This friend is constantly challenging me to have a correct view of who I am. They are like a mirror to my soul. Sometimes I wish that I could see me through their eyes, maybe I would see things differently. What do they see that I have been unable to? I know the truth of scripture. I know we are all valued by God…we are His workmanship, made in His image, perfectly knit by Him for His purposes. That should be enough. But is it wrong to want to be valued by others? To feel like who you are matters enough that if you were gone that you would be missed? To feel like your presence makes a difference in someone’s life? To believe that you have something unique to offer? To believe that you have value not just to God, but value here on this earth? They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Both windows and mirrors are made up of glass, and yet have completely different usages. Windows are for the purpose of seeing out, for seeing what is beyond. Mirrors are for the purpose of seeing our reflection. The coating on the back of the mirror prevents us from looking beyond and forces us to see our image clearly, especially when it has a strength of 7X. We may see it clearly, but do we see it correctly? I think there is a big difference. How do you learn to see something correctly? More importantly, how do you learn to see who you truly are correctly and be OK with that? Without mirrors we would have no idea what we looked like unless someone standing in front of us described what they saw. Then, unless they know you really well, they would only give a physical description. It is only those who deeply know us that can see beyond the external to describe who we really are. These deep seeded friends serve as both our mirrors and our windows. They can be our mirrors when we have trouble seeing who we really are. They can give clarity when there is confusion. If all we had were mirrors though, we would become incredibly self absorbed. Windows are important for us to see beyond ourselves. They allow us to see the big picture and to dream. Our friends can also be our windows. They can remind us of our potential. They can encourage our dreams and even dream with us. It is hard to look out the window when we have not first fixed the distortion we see when we look in the mirror. I have come face to face with that…
I had an amazing conversation with a friend who always brings thoughts into focus in my life. This friend is constantly challenging me to have a correct view of who I am. They are like a mirror to my soul. Sometimes I wish that I could see me through their eyes, maybe I would see things differently. What do they see that I have been unable to? I know the truth of scripture. I know we are all valued by God…we are His workmanship, made in His image, perfectly knit by Him for His purposes. That should be enough. But is it wrong to want to be valued by others? To feel like who you are matters enough that if you were gone that you would be missed? To feel like your presence makes a difference in someone’s life? To believe that you have something unique to offer? To believe that you have value not just to God, but value here on this earth? They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Both windows and mirrors are made up of glass, and yet have completely different usages. Windows are for the purpose of seeing out, for seeing what is beyond. Mirrors are for the purpose of seeing our reflection. The coating on the back of the mirror prevents us from looking beyond and forces us to see our image clearly, especially when it has a strength of 7X. We may see it clearly, but do we see it correctly? I think there is a big difference. How do you learn to see something correctly? More importantly, how do you learn to see who you truly are correctly and be OK with that? Without mirrors we would have no idea what we looked like unless someone standing in front of us described what they saw. Then, unless they know you really well, they would only give a physical description. It is only those who deeply know us that can see beyond the external to describe who we really are. These deep seeded friends serve as both our mirrors and our windows. They can be our mirrors when we have trouble seeing who we really are. They can give clarity when there is confusion. If all we had were mirrors though, we would become incredibly self absorbed. Windows are important for us to see beyond ourselves. They allow us to see the big picture and to dream. Our friends can also be our windows. They can remind us of our potential. They can encourage our dreams and even dream with us. It is hard to look out the window when we have not first fixed the distortion we see when we look in the mirror. I have come face to face with that…
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