I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
No message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make a change
Oh Michael Jackson, despite some of your challenges in life and your odd hiccup sounds interspersed throughout your lyrics and melodies, you spoke great truth in this song. It is a bit of the inspiration for this blog but not in the way one might expect. Yes, I am on this World Race journey to become more Christ-like so that I can be used by God to further His kingdom and consequently make the world a better place, but it’s the second half of that line that interests me. “Take a look at yourself.” One common theme about being on this crazy Race is that mirrors are rare. I happened to pack a small compact and apparently indestructible mirror according to the advertisement, but I have barely used it. Living without mirrors has proven to be extremely freeing. Why? Mirrors lie. Have you ever thought about that? In the house I lived in this past year, one of my friends and roommates, Catlin, had a mirror that our entire house deemed to be one that made you look more squat and wide. Conversely, in the room I shared with my good friend Doud, we had a full-length that was quite generous when it came to girth around the midriff. It had this lovely way of stretching out your reflection and brightening up your day by making you think, well hey, I’m looking slimmer! What I didn’t like, and my distaste has continued to grow, is that both mirrors were supposedly reflecting the exact same thing, me. In the 30 second walk between them, my weight and general appearance did not change so dramatically (or at all) that I should have observed a 5-10 pound difference. My conclusion? Mirrors, and really any reflective material, lie. I’m sure some physicist or whoever could conjure up an argument to say that there are those that are so well designed that your reflection is completely accurate. Fair enough and to them I say your reflection is still not fully 100% you because it’s a reflection. Let me help you run my ramblings through a filter by coming out and saying my point: why do we spend so much time believing reflections of ourselves that are never in agreement? While on this Earth, attached to our bodies (some would say wrapped in them), we will never be able to fully, adequately, and accurately see our physical selves by means of a device or through another’s description because they all reflect us differently. What a strange and yet totally liberating concept. Quit believing the mirrors!
So why did I open this with MJ’s song that incidentally contains one heck of a marvelous key change that I cannot resist jamming out to every single time? Well, my life on the Race hasn’t had mirrors yet I’ve spent quite a bit of time looking at myself and making a change. Guess who has the only accurate picture of me? My Jesus. By not having the distraction of mirrors, I’ve been released of any physical representation of myself and have been forced to rely on what the Lord has for me…that and the perspective of my teammates who are helping me to become more Christ-like. It’s been the best reflection of myself I’ve ever had because I don’t have the worry of looking at my appearance and being wrapped up in what I look like and how that will impact what others think. My only view is how closely I mirror Christ and His life. Best way to live. Seriously, try living without a mirror for a week or even just a day and see how your self-esteem increases dramatically.
***A funny side-effect of not having a mirror? You are absolutely floored when you do happen to catch a glimpse of yourself in a window or picture because you had sort of forgotten what you looked like and hadn’t been able to track any changes. It’s a surprise every time***
