Mirror, Mirror On the Wall

This world reminds me of the bathroom at Target. Stick with me here; I am going somewhere. Do you ever notice how harsh the lighting is in the bathroom at Target? I might think I'm something pretty fabulous, then I go potty with my kids, look in the mirror, and recoil in horror at the mere sight of myself in that room. The mistake most of us make is that then we actually get closer to the mirror and take a better look. My word - the lighting and mirrors in the bathroom at Target reveal imperfections I swear I would have never even known about!

Then there was the salon up north with the soft lighting and earthy wall colors that always made me look prettier than I really am. I loved going to that salon. Instead of magnifying my flaws that environment made me feel beautiful.

Isn't it amazing how we can have the exact same face and feel beautiful in one environment and freakish in another?

This world reminds me of the bathrooms in Target because it also does a really fabulous job of making us feel ugly. When we stand in the midst of the world's expectations for our faces, our hair, or our bodies, we all come to the shocking and often disheartening realization that we fall completely short. We will never be what they want us to be. In that lighting, we will never be beautiful.

But have you ever looked at your reflection in the presence of Christ? Have you ever taken a look at the girl He fashioned through His very eyes? Now that, sweet friends, is an environment in which you can take a step closer and examine yourself in the mirror. Rather than exaggerating your flaws Jesus reveals our true beauty and the true source of that beauty. When we examine ourselves in the light of Christ we realize that it has very little to do with our faces, our hair, or our bodies, and everything to do with our hearts, our minds and our souls.

If you are struggling with the lighting of this world; if you are examining yourself in the mirror that our culture has provided and find yourself wanting, just know that there is another way. There is a different place that you can go to see a more accurate reflection. Just like the salon up north, looking at our reflection through the eyes of Christ will soften the harsh lighting of the world that leaves us feeling worthless and reveal beauty beyond expression and worth greater than understanding.

As we walk with Him and like Him, and as our lives reflect more and more of His grace and love, the true beauty of our hearts and souls overpowers the harsh light of this world and even the bathrooms at Target cannot erase or distort the gorgeous light that we reflect.

You are beautiful. No matter what they say.

But God told Samuel, "Looks aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature. I've already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

Rewind

I think I got a little ahead of myself last week. I issued a challenge for you to reverse the curse in your schools; to be the light of Christ for others that they might experience the good of Jesus in place of the bad of this world. It an awesome thing because experiencing that good through the loving words and actions of believers is what often turns the tide and draws the unbeliever to a place of acceptance and belief.

Near the end of my last post I said this: "Jesus came to reverse the curse in our own lives. Today make it your goal to pay it forward and reverse the curse for someone else."

But as I sat down this afternoon to ponder these things some more, I realized that many of you might be in a much different place. You might just have no idea what I mean when I say that Jesus came to reverse the curse in your life. And if you haven't experienced and understood that - well, then it would be pretty darn difficult for you to pay it forward and reverse the curse for others. . . So today I want to share with you the glorious and magnificent reality of what Jesus can and will do in you when you surrender yourself to His leading.

Colossians 3:9-11 says:

Do not lie to each other, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created him -- a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

Does being a Christian ever seem like hard work to you? According to the beginning of this verse (and the verses that come before it in Colossians) we have a lot of work to do when we become believers. We are called to lay aside our old selves and our bad habits. We have to do a major 180 from the way that we used to live. Our lives and priorities are supposed to change, and often in very dramatic ways when we begin to live for Christ instead of ourselves. A lot of people become burdened with the weight of this reality, but in those moments they are forgetting the beautiful truth behind the call for change. . .

When Jesus takes residence in our souls through the Holy Spirit He empowers us to change. Right after it says that we have laid aside our old selves and put on a new self it says that we are "being renewed," and not only that - but into the very image of God himself. I'm sorry, but that is crazy! Do you know that? Do you get that? From the very minute you begin the journey as a believer God begins shaping and molding you more into Himself. So there is a responsibility on my part to continue laying aside my old self, but there is also a commitment on God's part to work on my behalf. Let me be honest here, there are a lot of days that I don't feel like a very good reflection of God. I'm pretty sure that some of the people closest to me would agree. . . But the beauty of this fact is that it doesn't matter how I feel - it is still true.

So Jesus reverses the curse in us bit by bit as He molds us into the image of our Creator. But wait - it gets even better. As He accomplishes this work of renewal He also erases the status markers that this world uses to define our worth. The ground becomes level at the foot of the cross and we all stand as equals when we stand before our King.

If you want a church word for what I'm talking about here, think sanctification.

Reversing the curse means allowing Jesus to do the work He longs to do in each of our lives to make us more like Himself. He will finish the good work He started, and as we faithfully partner with Him and daily say no to the old self and yes to the new self, we will see our lives transform before our very eyes.

Jesus has reversed the curse in me. He's still doing it, and will continue doing it until the day I walk into eternity at His side. Until then, I'm a work in progress whose goal will be to reverse the curse through the power and love of Jesus everywhere I go.

Reverse the Curse

School is hard. Classes can be difficult, friendships are dramatic and inconsistent, and Jesus often feels a million miles away in an environment that refuses to accept that His ways are good and right. . . We know in our hearts that He is with us wherever we go, but it doesn't feel like enough when we're walking through halls filled with hurting kids and kids doing the hurting.

Some of you are standing in the middle, watching with a deep sense of sadness as the madness goes on around you. Others of you are actually on one side of that equation or the other. Maybe you feel unaccepted at school and discouraged by the words and actions of your classmates. Or maybe you and your friends are the ones who are assuring others that they are unaccepted and unworthy.

So how do you make it through every day with so much junk going on around you?

How do you keep your focus on God and your faith in Christ when darkness seems to be winning the battle?

I have three words for you girls:

Reverse the curse.

Let love win in your own life. That means extending it freely to people who don't deserve it. That means standing up for the hurting kids in the hallway and telling your friends to knock it off when they're doing the hurting.

It means giving respect to your teachers - even the ones who don't really seem to deserve it - because its the right thing to do.

Where there is unlove you walk in and fill the room with an undeniable fragrance of love and acceptance. Everywhere you go you replace sadness with joy, and hurt with hope.

It won't be easy, but it will be worth it. You won't regret one day of your life spent fighting for love and being the love that so many around you desperately need.

If you need a little inspiration or motivation for this challenge, I know someone whose life is a pretty fabulous example. Everywhere he went he loved the unlovable, encouraged the outcast, and gave hope to the faithful. He left a fragrance that made those who accepted him fall in love and those who denied him go mad. He made an eternal impact that brought light into darkness and forever changed the course of history.

His name is Jesus. He came to reverse the curse in our lives. Today, make it your goal to pay it forward and reverse the curse for someone in your corner of the world. . . You never know when your actions will make an eternal impact to bring light into darkness and forever change the course of history.