Man in the mirror

In the midst of bland Corporate Land, the battered, vintage arch is unexpected.  I find it outside the ballroom in the Dallas hotel where I’m sequestered in an event this week.

 

The frame itself is quite a contrast to its sleek surroundings.  But even more odd is the mottled mirror that fills it.  The arch is clearly a passageway.  So why fill it with a mirror – and one that is virtually useless?

I stand, under the curve, trying to see my reflection.  A verse comes to mind:

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.  1 Corinthians 13:12

I’ve lived inside this skin for nearly six decades and think I know myself fairly well.  Plus, being called to a life of art is like being handed a magnifying glass for one’s internal life.  But even so, there are times I surprise myself – and rarely are those revelations pleasant.  Some unloving or selfish thought will rise up, unbidden, from deep recesses.  Underneath, there’s the mess of my motivations.  I can’t begin to unravel that Gordian knot.

I like Paul’s antidote to this murky mirror.  One day, we will see face to face.  What we need is for the Lord to take the mirror out of the entrance way.  To know our true selves, we have to stop focusing on our reflection, and stare into the eyes of our Creator.

He is the only one who fully knows us.  And amazingly, even with that knowledge, he still loves us – so much that he gave his own life to rescue us from our rebel, stubborn hearts. He willingly and patiently unties our knots.

We only see our true selves reflected in his eyes.

 

As we leave the ballroom for the night, I ask my colleagues if anyone had noticed this arching anomaly.  Yes, a couple of them did.  They agree that its presence is odd.  One of them makes a joke about Narnia.    I remark, “Here’s another task to put on top of our work this week. Find the word that unlocks the portal.”  They laugh. 

But I already know the word.  Or more accurately: the name.

Jesus, your love for us is so amazing.  Sometimes I wish that my flaws could be hidden from your view like in the patchy parts of this mirror.  But then, your love would be based on impartial knowledge.  But you died for us knowing full well who we are – nothing is hidden from your sight.  And yet you still determined to save us.  Help me to “know fully” this incredible truth.