“A Long Look in the Mirror” by Dave Good

Happy Monday! Welcome back to another edition of GSM’s “Refill with Randy” Blog. Once again my name is Dave Good and I am honored to spend the next few minutes with you. I pray my words are encouraging and have a profound impact on your Christian walk.

Today, I want to talk about something that we do every day. It’s a really simple thing to do, yet it can have a dramatic impact on your life. It’s really so easy, everyone can do it. What I’m talking about is looking in the mirror. I can hear the “come on Dave’s” already. You are probably saying, I look in the mirror all the time and other than admiring my hair, how is that going to change my life?

I’m not just talking about the glance in the mirror to wash your face or, for you ladies out there, apply your makeup. I’m talking about taking a long look deep into your soul. Here is where the complete honesty comes in. There were many times in my life when I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. There were periods in my life when I suffered from low self esteem. I remember growing up and going through my teenage, brace wearing, new glasses, acne faced phase and really thinking, “Dave you are a mess and pretty ugly”.

I also recall times of shame and regret. Have you ever sinned or done something you weren’t proud of and then tried to look at yourself in the mirror the next morning. I can honestly say that I’ve had that feeling too many times. I’m talking about the not even looking at yourself when you are brushing you teeth kind of guilt and shame.

Taking a long stare at yourself in the mirror is one of the most revealing things we can do. According to William Shakespeare, “Eyes are the window to the soul.” Jesus tells us that, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew‬ ‭6:22-23‬ ‭NIV‬‬) Our eyes are so important to our health and outlook. ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

So the next question is, “How can looking in the mirror improve my Christian walk?”

1. It allows you to be completely honest with yourself. We need to take the time to examine our lives, admit our flaws, repent of our sins, and expose our shortcomings. A mirror doesn’t hide our flaws, it exposes them, and when we get to the point where we can work on those flaws and repent of those sins our reflection will look so much better.
2. It challenges you to want to be better. When you take a long look in the mirror it can often drives you to clean up our act. No one wants to look at themselves with a mess on their face, if you see something you would to wash it off. Your life and soul are no different. The mirror will force you to clean up your act.
3. In order to see yourself clearly in the mirror, you must have a good light. The light of our soul is Christ. The more we allow Christ into our life the brighter our light is. Working on your closeness with God will always allow His radiance to shine through you.

Friends, I understand that taking a good hard look at your life may be difficult but I promise you it’s worth it. I’ve spent too many years with the wrong perception of my self, living under the guilt and shame from my mistakes. I am here today to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way forever. God created each and every one of you in His image. If you are willing to work on your problems and be honest with yourself, your reflection will become closer and closer to image that God created. I pray these words are impactful to you and I look forward to our time next week.