M is for Mirrors...

M is for Mirrors, Mothers, Mother-in-laws, and my daughter Megan

I will almost always check myself in a mirror should I pass one by.  Checking that my hair is in order, my eyeliner is not smeared all over my face, and to make sure I don’t have broccoli or some other unsightly vegetable stuck in my teeth.  I use mirrors each day when I am brushing my teeth, washing my face and applying make-up.  I count on them to accurately reflect back to me what I look like so that I can change what needs to be changed, clean what needs to be cleaned and to count the ever appearing wrinkles that remind me I am losing my youth.  We can find mirrors in hallways, bathrooms, living rooms, cars and purses.  There are precious few places we can go to and not find a way to check how we look.  We spend countless amounts of money trying to make our reflection – our mirrors, appear beautiful.  And I think spending time to create beauty is a worthy pursuit – but our outward beauty is not the only beauty we need to pursue, and definitely not the most important one.  There is another mirror that needs our attention too.  Another reflection that is harder to see, but has more value and worth.  It is the mirror that reflects our soul.

When we look into the scriptures, when we meditate on them, infuse them in our lives, they become alive and its truth begins to reflect what is true in our lives.  What we focus on in our mirror – or don’t focus on is then reflected out.  If I look into the mirror of God’s word and discover that I am to forgive, then I need to forgive.  Otherwise it is no different than if I looked in a mirror, saw I had broccoli in my teeth, and left it there to go have my picture taken.  It makes no sense.  If I claim to be a Christian, then I need to reflect Christ’s image.  If I claim to be a Christian, then I must daily look at my mirror, the Bible, to see what I need to address in my life so that my life is a life reflecting of God’s beauty.  I have been quite fortunate to have many people in my life that have reflected Christ’s heart to me.  The first to come to mind is my mom.

My mother is a woman who has always mirrored Christ to me.  She is a very positive and kind person.  I have never heard her say anything that would remotely sound like gossip or would in any way defame another’s reputation or character.  Over the years I have learned that growing up was complicated for my mother.  She was the middle child of parents who were raising three children coming out of the Great Depression.  She had many heartaches, disappointments and trials that would make for several impressive lifetime movies – but even so, she has never uttered a word of bitterness or anger.  I grew up blissfully unaware of many of the traumas she had to overcome and my relationships with the trying people in her life were never negatively stained by anything she ever said or did.  She worked tirelessly to make certain our needs were met and that many of our wants were tended to as well.  I have never heard her voice raised in anger or known her hand of discipline to be too harsh.  My mother’s mirror reflects God’s grace and forgiveness. 

Another mother in my life that displays Christ’s servant’s heart is my mother-in-law.  She too is not one to gossip, to say anything that would cause me to think unkindly of another or to be careless with her words.  My mother-in-law has spent most of her married life as a pastor’s wife.  That meant raising her children behind glass walls with everyone watching her and how she and her husband handled their three boys.  She must have had to endure gossip and finger pointing and criticism from  left and right as pastor’s families are often held up to scrutiny, and a higher standard than the rest of us.  But she never reflected back the same.  My mother-in-law is a gracious woman and humble.  She has a great sense of humor and can laugh easily at herself.  She has a servant’s heart and doesn’t mind doing the dull, monotonous things a wife and mother must do.  Whether it is cooking dinner, singing on a Sunday morning in church with her husband, or working in a bank to help make ends meet, she has always taken on these chores with grace.  My mother-in-law’s mirror reflects humility and a servant’s heart.

There is another M in my life who reflects Christ.  She is still learning, still trying to figure out who she is, but as she tries on new ideas, as she explores new friends and activities, there is a common thread through all of her life.  It is that it is truly her heart’s desire to reflect Christ.  Our daughter, Megan is considerate, helpful and thoughtful.  A few Sundays ago she and I made cards for a girl her age in the hospital.  She does not know this girl, but she wanted her to feel loved and cared for so she sent her hand-made cards with scripture verses and kind words.  Last summer she was invited to go rafting for a week with her childhood friends.  It was a trip she had enjoyed annually for many years but last summer it conflicted with an opportunity to go to San Francisco and serve in a homeless shelter.  She chose to serve.  Ever since she was little, she has had a tender heart – a compassionate heart.  But she has a quiet determination about her as well.  She challenges herself to excel in school and athletics, even though it means losing hours of sleep and time with friends.  Each day I see more and more of Christ reflected in her character and I am eager to see how it will all develop as she continues to grow.  My daughter’s mirror reflects Christ’s compassion and love.

I do not know when my children look back on their lives what they will remember.  I do not know if they will think back at what I mirrored to them of Christ if it will be a memory of positive or negative reflections.  I do know from time to time that when I speak to them, every once in a while, I will hear my mother’s voice.  I will hear her Godly words of wisdom, counsel and guidance come out of my mouth.  And I hope that one day, when someone tells my daughters that they sound just like their mom; it will be because they are mirroring the image of Christ.