Reflection

For Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Proverbs 27:19

As in water face reflects face,
so the heart of man reflects the man.

This seems simple enough. To know ourselves, we merely need to look at our heart. But peering into a still pool of water to see one's face is much easier than looking into one's heart. Indeed, it is the most difficult task for anyone. Why?

The heart, of course, is a figure of speech and difficult to define. Is the heart what I intend or what I do? Many times I do the opposite of what I intend to do. I discourage when I mean to encourage. I take when I intend to share. I want to do good but end up doing wrong. In my mind I have a good heart; it's just that my behavior distorts the heart's true reflection.

Or the actions may be reversed. What many see as reflecting kindness is really an attempt to earn advantage for myself. If people only knew the real reason for the good things they see, they would be appalled. I know my behavior is covering my heart's true reflection.

As one who's face has been scarred loathes to look into the mirror at his reflection, so we all have an aversion of looking fully into our own hearts. It is not overly complicated to see our true reflection, which can be seen in both behavior and thought-life; rather, it is painful to see, and we lack the will to stare into the heart-mirror.

And the only way we can possess the will is to first possess the grace that allows us see both the scars and the beauty of remade in Christ. We are afraid to get below the skin and see a wicked heart; but if you are in Christ, there is yet another level deeper that reveals true beauty - the beauty of our Lord which is growing within us through the action of the Holy Spirit. Look into the mirror to the wickedness and then through it to the beauty of Christ Jesus in you.