The 40-Day Mirror Fast: Focusing Your Eyes on Jesus and Off Your Appearanceნიმუში

What Do You See?

Let's talk about your relationship with the mirror.

When you stare at that looking glass, what do you see?

Do you notice your smile, the flickers of light in your eyes, or the shape of your face? Or do you go into officer-on-patrol mode, searching for signs of aging, scars, or perceived changes from how you looked yesterday?

• Do you treat the mirror as a judge you stand before each day to see if you're okay?
• Do you treat the mirror as a tool to help you identify and perfect your image?

Don't despair. Culture has taught us to try to make the mirror happy. If you can make the mirror smile, you'll smile too.

But do we ever consider how backward that is? The mirror is neutral. If we smile at it, then it will smile at us.

It's not our reflection that renders a verdict; it's our eyes. It's how we see what we're viewing. It's the attitude of our hearts that spills out when we observe our image.

Perhaps you've heard of something called "the mirror principle." According to the Internet, the mirror principle is that people should see themselves as God sees them in the Bible and act accordingly.

In other words, my opinion of myself (and my opinion of my reflection) must bow to God's opinions of me. His Word is the Truth about my value and worth.

The mirror principle is easy to understand but hard to live by. In our culture, where "my truth" rules, it's hard not to believe that my opinion of myself matters most.

So, I must not allow the mirror to tell me I'm not good enough. The mirror principle tells me I must change how I see, not what I see.

I've spent many decades working to change what I see instead of the way I see. If you've done this too, make this your prayer today:

Dear Heavenly Father, As I take this time away from the mirror, please reorient my vision. Could you help me to see myself through your eyes? Help my vision align with what your Word says about me. In Jesus's name, Amen.