Mirror, Mirror

The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility    Proverbs 15:33

I suppose it is obvious that the closer we get to the mirror, the more we can see our blemishes or imperfections. The better the light near the mirror, the better we can see those imperfections.  Yikes!

The metaphor here is that as we get closer to the light, and we are willing to see ourselves clearly in the mirror, the more we will see our imperfections. Not just physical defects, but character defects as well. No, we do not like to take that close a look very often, but it is a necessary function for emotionally healthy people.

Seeing ourselves in the light means seeing ourselves in the mirror, not another person to whom we compare ourselves in a relative sense. You know, “gosh, I’m not perfect, but compared to that guy, I’m a real saint!” Well, that might be true, but it is not relevant when we are trying to take a clear and honest look at ourselves.

The 4^th step of Alcoholics Anonymous says to Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. This is a key step in addiction recovery, but truly, it is a step of moral responsibility for everyone.

So, periodically, get closer to that mirror, make sure the light is good, and take inventory. Most importantly, don’t get into despair. The paradoxical result of a close look at our faults is that we come to understand that it takes humility and courage to do so. The more we exercise courage and humility, and the more we see truth, the better we feel about ourselves. We can accept our shortcomings, work on resolutions as best we can, and take heart that we are on a journey of integrity!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for helping us to see ourselves in light of your love, Amen.