Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been a bit on the busy side, although not overly so, and for some reason I have not felt too much of an urge to blog (is that a verb yet?)

Anyhow, one of the nicest features on my new apartment is a fairly large mirror in above the sink in the "master bedroom" (it feels silly to call it that, since this is a 2-bedroom apartment we are talking about here, but I guess it is by far the larger of the two bedrooms, and it even has a 3/4 bath in it, if you count the mirror and sink along the wall as part of the bathroom rather than part of the room itself -- well, you get the idea).

So, true confession time - I have not cleaned the mirror in a while now, like in well over a month.

At some time in the increasingly distant past it was a sparkling clean, pristine mirror, with nary a spot on it. However, over time, it has been gradually transformed - or perhaps it would be better to say that it has gradually degenerated.
Every time I brush my teeth or carelessly sneeze, (or a random droplet of water splashes, or a speck of dust lands, ...) it leaves a telltale mark behind. I suppose it was probably noticeable when the mirror was clean. Those first few spots and blemishes really stand out, but after a few have collected, one more just doesn't make much of a difference. After a while, you sort of get used to them being there. You learn to look past them. They blend in and become part of the scenery. You no longer notice them because you have somehow forgotten what a clean mirror looks like. It is amazing what one can become accustomed to given enough time -- what we are willing to accept as normal merely because it is familiar.

For some reason, earlier this evening when I paused to look at my reflection while washing my hands, the dirtiness of that mirror stood out and made an impression on me. It is not that there have not been fleeting moments when it has occurred to me that it might not be a bad idea to give that mirror a good cleaning, but for some reason, at that precise moment, I really saw that mirror as it really is. I have looked at it practically every day, but I have not actually seen it for quite some time. It wasn't a pretty picture.

That got me thinking. Perhaps this a bit of a forced metaphor, but I think that often my life is a lot like that mirror. Every day, I am exposed to things from both within and without that stain me. I have the resources available to me to get those things washed and removed whenever I want, but often I let things slide. Soon, I become accustomed to them. I stop seeing them. I am no longer bothered by them because I have become blinded to them by that deadly combination of inattentiveness and familiarity. Things that I ought to recognize as ugly, dirty, and repulsive are instead either ignored, or are lumped into the category of the normal and the acceptable.

Fortunately, if we slow down once in a while and take time to really look at ourselves in light of God's word and who He is, our eyes will be opened. We will remember that cleanness and perfection really look like, and we will see how badly we are missing the mark. In that moment, if we open ourselves up to receive God's grace and mercy rather than running away and hiding in the shadows, God will cleanse us completely and will restore to our consciousness the already present reality that we are perfect in His sight because of the work of His Son.

Well, it is getting late so I'd better wrap this up. I do still have a mirror to clean. Maybe I'll get around to that tomorrow.