A Look In The Mirror
It was my 30th birthday and I woke up unusually sore and achy. I didn’t think too much about it, and then I looked in the mirror and wanted to scream! Dark circles. Bags under my eyes so deep I could have taken a 10 day trip to Cozumel! I thought to myself “I guess that’s it. This is what 30 looks like!” As the day went on I was both relieved and annoyed by the fact that this wasn’t the new me. I just had the flu!
Our reflection only tells us a part of the story. It only shows us the scar, bruise, beauty, curls and dimples (whether good or bad!).
For now we see in a mirror, dimly…
1 Corinthians 13:12
The mirror is a dim view of a greater story. In Exodus 25, it shares the story of when Israel began to build the Tabernacle and everyone brought free will offerings to do their part. In Exodus 38:8 the narrative begs for us to take a closer look. The only group of people who were recognized for their specific gift given were the serving women of the church, and the gift that they brought were bronze mirrors. These mirrors had been crafted during their time of slavery in Egypt. Not only were these mirrors a part of their journey for many years, but they were also not easily replaced. The women gave up these mirrors, how they saw themselves, to freely build the house of God. Let that sink in. Giving up this dim view meant saying goodbye to a reflection of themselves that was built in a time of bondage. How freeing that must have felt to no longer see the slave. But how difficult can this process sometimes be for us as Christian women?
Even after choosing Christ as my Lord and serving in the church I often found myself dressed in shame seeing a reflection that was a witness of what was, not what is and what is to come! We can still often see that girl… you know the one we don’t like. The one that made all the mistakes. The one that was abused. The one who was made fun of. The one that fell into stereotypes. The one that had a bad reputation. The one that let everyone down… We see the slave, BUT God has not come so that we can stay in a slave like mentality.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then,
and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
Freely Christ has given to us the power to be emancipated from the chains of inadequacy, history, comparison, and fear by accepting the full love of God and reflecting his image. He takes our messed up views of ourselves and He molds us and shapes us to be vessels of honor that bring others directly to His throne room. So as you look in the mirror today, I challenge you to not see the flaws, but instead take a closer look into the story of your life and celebrate the freedom and future you have been given.
Love,
Pastor Celeste Gonzales