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 (NIV)
Mirrors aren’t always accurate. Have you ever gone into a fun house at a carnival where they had a bunch of different curved mirrors? As you go from mirror to mirror, you look completely different in each one.
In a similar way, there are different “mirrors” we use in life to reflect back who we are. Often we allow these to define us. The problem is some of these mirrors lie.
The first false mirror I want to talk about is the mirror of memories. When we look to our past experiences to determine who we are, we’re using the mirror of memories.
When you think about who you are, do you think of your most embarrassing moments? Do you remember the fact you never seemed to measure up to the other kids in school? If this is how you determine your identity, it’s going to be wrong. The mirror of memories is faulty. Using this mirror, the image that comes back to you might be: I’m not quite good enough.
Don’t rely on the mirror of your memories. The only mirror that gives you a true reflection of who you are as a new creation in Christ is the Bible.
Use God’s Word as a mirror, because “whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do” (James 1:25, NIV).