A Remarkable Mirror
David W Hall
A few years ago in Switzerland I walked into a hall of mirrors and found myself totally lost. There seemed to be doors where there were none, and multiples of myself on several sides. I walked towards my wife, only to collide painfully with a pane of glass. It was most disconcerting. What I thought I saw was not real. How easy it is for us to be deceived!
The world is full of people who are trying to find themselves. In fact, every human being born into the world begins life not knowing who she or he is. As we grow as infants we begin to become self-aware, discovering hands and feet, fingers and toes. Then we begin to learn that we can assert ourselves. One of the first words we utter is, “no!” We have discovered our own will, and we go on discovering more about our individuality as we grow. However, to realize we have individuality does not mean that we have discovered identity. A person’s true identity is more than just a list of features that enable us to distinguish ourselves from everyone else. It is the sum of our being as the God the Father designed them to be.
Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve people have been trying to discover their identities. Most of us look in the wrong place to determine who we really are. Many seek to be part of the community image by adhering slavishly to the fads and fashions around them. Others, afraid of losing their uniqueness, rebel into deliberate non-conformity. Either way, we are choosing an image of ourselves. But how real is this image?
God designed each one of us, and He knows us individually. Our true identity is the person He created us to be. This means that our true image is how He sees us, and this is expressed in what He says of us. This brings us to the heart of our human problem. How we see ourselves, or how we would like to see ourselves does not, at first, match His design and purpose. It is not until we meet God and hear His word about us that we begin to get a glimpse of our true identity.
That is why God sends His messengers to us to bring the good news of the Gospel. God’s messengers provide a mirror in which to see our true image – the one God designed. Now here is an amazing thing! The image that we see in this mirror is Christ Himself, but this image is also us. This is because we are included in the Son of God. In the image of Christ we can see our own life, hidden in Christ. He is the source and model for us as children of God. In Him we see ourselves as the Father intended us to become. He is the finished product, and we are still works in progress.
The apostle said that ‘when we shall see Him we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is’. (1 John 3:2) When Jesus came into the world as a man He displayed all that a son of God is. He demonstrated the nature, attitude, behaviour, capacity, obedience, love, faith, etc of a true son of God. In going to the cross He showed us how the love of every true son motivates him to fulfill the Father’s will, whatever the cost.
However, Christ is more than just a model of desirable behaviour. All the life of God was deposited within Him, and it was this that enabled Him to be all that He was, and to do all that He did. This is the life which the Father has planned for us to share. The apostle John said, ‘in Him was life and the life was the light of men’. Paul said, ‘God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son’. You see, Jesus not only declares what a true son or daughter of God is like, but He also brings us the very essence of that life so that we can be children of God, living as Jesus did.
Now we can begin to see how the mirror of God’s word operates. Firstly a messenger, who is already a member of Christ, comes to us and holds up the mirror of our identity. He does this by speaking the message of the Father’s love and plan for us to be His children. When we hear and receive this word we are looking into the mirror. When we obey this word it bears fruit in our lives. The image in the messenger’s mirror becomes a reality in our daily lives.
