The Woman in the Mirror

We’ve all looked in a mirror and determined that what we saw looked great, needed work, could lose or gain some weight, but have you ever looked in the mirror and said, “I am NOT a very nice person! I’m mean, I have an attitude, my heart is ugly and nasty, and I NEED TO CHANGE!” If you are self-aware and self-reflect, then probably. However, if you are prideful (thinking you have nothing to work on and you are perfect) then no. I will be completely honest and transparent and say that today, God had to remind me that I was the latter! As much as I’ve grown and changed for the better, God still had to and has to remind me of who I REALLY AM. That I am NOT perfect. That just because I’ve overcome some situations, doesn’t make me better than anyone AND That I can be mean, harsh, and rude. That I STILL NEED SOME CHANGING! “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” (Romans‬ ‭12:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬) WHAT A WAY TO BE KNOCKED DOWN!!

It’s not that I didn’t know this already…I know that I am not perfect and have no room to judge anyone. I think it’s because in certain areas, I feel that I’ve overcome them so I don’t need to work on that particular area anymore. For example, I’ve overcome responding petty to “some” situations, so I think that I’ve overcome being petty altogether! That is absolutely FALSE!! Get me in the right situation and my petty level goes to 5000!

This week I’ve acted or responded in ways that was out of the character of Jesus. That would make one wonder, “Is Ashley TRULY a Christian?” The answer is a resounding YES! Because my FAITH makes me a Christian and I am being perfected daily, I know that I need CONTINUAL GROWTH. After each incident, I would immediately feel convicted and knew I should repent and apologize, however after doing so I felt SO BAD! I was condemning myself which we should never do. God convicts to bring us to a place of repentance (change of action or behavior) which will restore our relationship with him. Satan condemns to make you feel guilty and unworthy to continue to do what God has called you to do. God reminded me today that he allowed me to go through these situations to SHOW ME WHO I AM. He allowed me to see myself the way HE SEES ME. This is not to say that I am a terrible person because of how I responded or behaved but to show me WHERE THERE IS NEED OF CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT AND GROWTH.

God sees me and all of us entirely different way than we see ourselves. I spoke in my first blog about asking God for his perspective in our lives and situations. He gave me his perspective on how he sees me today. This perspective was like looking into a mirror. A mirror shows your reflection, how you are looking at that moment. You see yourself based on what the mirror shows you. As I said earlier, we see ourselves and determine from the mirror if we need to comb our hair, wipe our face, or take off that skirt/shirt that is too tight, but with the perspective of God, I was able to see past my physical appearance and look into my heart. That mirror is a mirror that you can only look into if you have the eyes of God. You will be able to see your flaws and all areas that are broken. You can only look into this mirror if you have a heart that is willing to see the truth. We don’t like to see, know or be told the truth about ourselves. This is because (as I said earlier) of our own perception of ourselves and where we think we are. Our mirror (perception and perspective) of ourselves is cloudy, but God’s mirror is crystal clear.

God can show you your inner mirror through his written Word, people, and him speaking to you Himself as he did me. It never feels good to be shown or told the truth of who you are (if it is a negative revelation about yourself). But in order to continue to grow, you have to be willing to accept/receive the truth and then make strides to work on improvement.

God told me it is time to look at the Woman in the Mirror. To look at myself the way that He sees me and not the way society, others or I (unless it is his perspective) see me. It is not bad to see yourself in this way. When you are being shown your TRUE SELF, it is an opportunity to give room for God to change you into who he wants you to be! Refusing to accept our true selves makes us blind and puts us in a place of denial. I mean, who doesn’t want to change? Who wants to stay the same? Who wants to be stagnant? We should ALL want to see areas of improvement and grow, right?

2 Corinthians 3: 7-18, talks about the glory of the New Covenant, the new way which is Jesus Christ. How those who do not accept this new way (Jesus Christ) are walking around with a veil over their minds because their minds (hearts) were hardened to the way of faith through believing in Jesus Christ. The new way was SHOWN to them plainly and they REFUSED to believe the way so as a result, they were BLINDED to the TRUTH (Jesus Christ). “And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 3:14). These scriptures are talking about the way of faith between the Law of Moses and Jesus Christ. But we can also relate it to ourselves when being SHOWN THE TRUTH ABOUT OURSELVES. As we turn to God and lean and depend on him daily as our Lord and our Savior we are giving him permission to change us and show us the way He thinks is best. If this is the case, he will show us areas that need improvement. We cannot think we’ve arrived just because we’ve overcome something in a particular area. This journey we are on is a continual journey of perfection and becoming more like Christ. If we have arrived, we shouldn’t be still living…our purpose has been fulfilled and as Jesus said at the end, “It is finished.” But if God shows us ourselves and we turn away from it, we are going to be walking around unchanged, blind, and stunted trying to do the work of God. We may be affective in the Kingdom of God, but not reaching our full potential because we choose to not change and grow! “But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” (2 Corinthians 3: 16 NLT) We see the reflection that God sees when we look at ourselves.

“So all of us who have that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT). So when we are shown our true selves through the mirror of God, and accept the fact that we are not perfect, we have not arrived, acknowledge that we still have more smoothing and buffing in areas, though we’ve come a mighty long way, then we give God room to continue to change us into the image of Jesus Christ. Isn’t that something we all want as believers in Jesus? To be changed, transformed into a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17)? I encourage you also to ask God to show you who you are through his mirror and when he shows you, to accept it and allow God to change you. I’ve decided that as I look into my mirror and see my physical reflection that I ask God to show me who I am spiritually, my heart! Who am I? What areas of improvement are needed in my life? Lord, show me the Woman in the Mirror!

Love, Ashley Nicole