Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who’s the fairest of them all?
Reply ~ Her lips like red,
Her hair like night,
Her skin like snow….
Wait, wait, wait. That is just a fairy tale! Magic mirrors do not exist! Mirrors cannot speak! There may be evil queens who delight most in being the fairest….. that could be real. But, magic mirrors? No. Definitely no.
One particular man in the Bible stands out because of the change in the way that he viewed himself. He had come from “obscurity” to be the first king of the nation of Israel. It is an amazing promotion to be the first! Samuel, the prophet of God, had anointed him, had advised him, and had admired him. All of Israel looked to him with approval because they had finally stepped up in the world; they had become like the nations around them. But, alas, flaws in his character began to surface. (Time always tells.) He decided that his success, his intelligence, and his abilities were enough to do his job in ruling God’s people. In his pride, he decided to disobey the direct command of God. Surely, his experience and his wisdom was enough to rely upon! When Samuel confronted King Saul with his disobedience he said, “When thou was little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?” Saul’s perception of himself had become skewed, distorted; his view had inflated as a balloon filled with air.
Quite the contrary was another king. As he began his reign over God’s chosen people, he was asked what he wanted. His reply was, “Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou has kept for him this great kindness that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in….” I Kings 3:5-7 He saw himself as so small, insignificant, and unworthy to do the great task that was laid before him. How he viewed himself showed his meekness and dependence on God. Is it not interesting that it was the goings and comings of King Solomon - his ascent to the Temple, the happiness of the people, and the magnitude of his kingdom - that enthralled the Queen of Sheba?
The Psalmist asked, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:4) In all of God’s magnificent creation, we were created from the dust of the ground. God sees us for exactly what we are; there is no flaunting with Him. But, do we see ourselves for who we really are? When we have the correct view of God, we can more accurately see the person we truly are. James 1:22-25 says that God has given us the perfect law of liberty as the mirror that reveals our true selves. We must be in it each day to clean the blemishes and wipe the dirt from our lives.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who is the
fairest of them all?
The mirror of God’s Word replies … Christ. “But (He) made Himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:7-8. Every talent, all our beauty, any favor that we have is a gift of God. His greatest Gift, is the fairest of them all!
--Written by Kathy Ashley, author of Vitamins for the Soul
You can go online and order from the Sword of the Lord HERE and be sure to check back here often for more thoughts to ponder.
Simply Being,
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