For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. James 1:23–24 (NLT)
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 but if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. (James 1:25, NLT).