The hall of mirrors at the Linderhof, a Mad King Ludwig II palace in Bavaria. The Linderhof was the only palace in which King Ludwig II resided. Herrenchiemsee and Neuschwanstein were under construction at the time of his death. Yet, heaven shall be greater than this.

January 10, 2026 / 0 comments

Looking in a Mirror

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

  • James 1:23-24

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

  • 1 Corinthians 13:12

To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
    I hate pride and arrogance,
    evil behavior and perverse speech.

  • Proverbs 8:13

“It is true that a mirror has the quality of enabling a person to see his image in it, but for this he must stand still.”

  • Søren Kierkegaard, Provocations (from Thoughts that Radically Cure)

I wonder if Kierkegaard had pondered the verses from James.  He gives a wonderful corollary to James’ quote above.  James says that if we see what we need to do and do not do it, it is like seeing ourselves in a mirror and not remembering what we saw.  So, to remember what we see, we continue to gaze into the mirror, thus, not ever getting anything done.

And who gazes into a mirror?  We all do to make sure there isn’t a bit of spinach, or a pericarp of popcorn (that thin outer shell), stuck to our teeth, but those that gaze intently for long periods of time, are usually quite fascinated by the image they see.

When I check my hair…  Anyone can get “pillow head” those sprigs of hair that go the wrong direction.  But when you wear a CPAP mask, you have the creases in your face that quickly go away without doing anything.  But you have hair that goes the wrong direction to show everyone where the mask straps were all night.

I look in the mirror for less than two seconds.  I have three choices: take a shower, put a warm wet rag on my head for a few minutes, or my most common choice – it is not THAT bad.

I decide whether I need to fix a poor job of shaving by rubbing my chin.  My eyesight is so bad that I would never see what I wanted to see in the mirror.

Frankly, what I want to see is a loved one looking over my shoulder, telling me that I look good enough.

And I think God does that each day.  I cannot count how many times that I have walked past a mirror and never noticed my image in it.

God is looking down on us, telling us that the only image that needs to be seen when we are out doing for others is Jesus shining from our soul.

Just pass by the mirror.  You look good just the way you are.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.

Leave a comment