What Do We See in the Mirror?

I sing this song often: “Make me more like You, Jesus, make me more like You. Give me a heart that’s filled with love and make me more like You.” That is my prayer: “Lord, may others see You in me.” I genuinely want to reflect Him. It’s a minute-by-minute work-out especially when the least little annoyance can cause us to NOT reflect the love and light of Jesus.

My debonair grandson, 16-year-old Brennan (who, by the way, just got his drivers’ license and is driving around in his dad’s Raptor truck) knows how to get to me. In church on Sunday, he either had his arm around me or his head on my shoulder. Be still my heart. He’ll also pull up a song from my era on his iPhone playlist. He asks: “Nana, do you remember this one?” Oh, yes, I do! Michael Jackson’s song was on and it went like this: “I’m starting with the man in the mirror / I’m asking him to change his ways. / And no message could be any clearer. / If you want to make the world a better place. / Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.”

Sometimes, the reflection in our mirror isn’t exactly a pleasant experience. Mirrors are brutally honest. They don’t lie. They usually tell us to make some adjustments in the way we look. We face the truth, make some changes, and feel a little better about facing the world. But what we see in the mirror isn’t near as important as what is inside us. And what is inside us is often what others see the most. I want them to see Jesus in me and if that be the case, then I need to spend more time with Him.

Have you noticed how couples begin to resemble one another the longer they’re married? The more time we spend in intimate fellowship with Jesus, the more His likeness will be seen by others. “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men HAD BEEN with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

“He is the vine and we are the branches.” (John 15:5) If we want to be more like Jesus, we best check out how connected we are to the Vine (Jesus). We’ll know we are tightly connected when “the mirror” reflects the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

To reflect Jesus, it’s time for us to be more interested in others than ourselves and our selfie-interests. We should ask God to give us a genuine curiosity to know other people better. I’m working on that here at my new apartment home. I want to talk less about myself and inquire more about them. I desire His eyes of grace to see each one as He sees them. And a heart to love them as He does.

If we want to reflect Jesus, we need to keep God at the center of all we do. As we spend time each day in His presence, more and more will we take on His character, His love, His wisdom, and His way of dealing with life and people. So let me ask you this question: “What or Who do you reflect today?” Perhaps it’s time to spend some more one-on-one time with Jesus, sitting at His feet and beholding His beauty. For as we do, we’ll end up looking more like our Savior and less like ourselves. I can’t think of anything more wonderful than that.