Sooner or later, you are going to come face-to-face with a challenge in your life: the man in the mirror. I have personally spent some significant time considering weighty questions while this face was staring back at me. I hear from other guys that it’s very natural for them to have exchanges with this ‘guy.’ He is a somewhat common experience. I admit that this makes a certain amount of sense to me, considering the amazing consistency he brings. Always there, always ready to meet, no matter where I might be at. His ability to retain eye contact while we sift through my stuff is actually a little bit spooky! And although I wouldn’t count him aggressive, argumentative, or overtly confrontational, I stand by my statement that he is challenging.
Why?
HE SIMPLY DOESN’T LIE TO ME.
He is not about false praise, phony promises, tempered observations, or reined-in thoughts to make things easier for me. He cares nothing for my delicate emotions or reactions. Instead, he simply stares back at me. And, when the timing is just right, he delivers the unvarnished truth straight into my head and heart.
Ouch!
One of my most memorable discussions with him concerned my thoughts and feelings after I finally accepted Christ. Initially, it was incredibly blissful. No doubt about it – I was riding an amazing high! Life seemed lighter. My cares were lessened or gone. My outlook totally shifted. The voices in my head shrank down to only a few really blessed direct comments from the Holy Spirit.
And then I started the 2nd month of my walk with Jesus …
Life got heavy again. Cares of all sorts started to crowd in. Old thoughts that I considered gone re-appeared in my mind: anger, pride, lust, and selfishness. Then, the voices in my head started multiplying once more—confusing clashes of points of view that literally started raging moment-to-moment. My newfound clarity melted away.
It took mirror guy a couple of weeks to finally catch my attention in the midst of my struggles. But one evening, as I reflected on all that had seemingly slid away from me in my Christian life, he looked out at me and simply said:
IS JESUS REALLY THE LORD OF YOUR LIFE?
Double Ouch!!
“… if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 ESV
JESUS IS LORD.
The man in the mirror stopped me dead in my tracks. I realized at that moment that my life had NOT been thoroughly changed by my simple embracing of Jesus. Something else was missing. And this missing element was causing me to fall short in gaining full breakthrough within my faith. Truthfully, I had welcomed Jesus as my Savior, but then I let my faith journey stop there. Totally stalled out. But He desired that my faith would grow and move forward—time for a jump-start.
JESUS IS LORD.
As that guy continued to stare laser beams at me, I found myself considering the things that currently occupied the center of my life. And then he took it one step further. He reminded me of the “works of the flesh” that the Apostle Paul had listed in Galatians 5:19-21. And as I reflected on them, I recognized that too many of them were still major parts of my day-to-day existence. Then, finally, I crumbled under this truth assault from the man in the mirror.
Jesus was nowhere near being my Lord. I liked/loved Him, but I had to admit that He was not at the center of my life. Without Him there, I had no ‘Jesus-filter’ attached anywhere in my life. Without that, I couldn’t see, hear, nor experience things as Jesus would. So how could I properly see and interpret the world as I tried to live my life? How could I fully move into God’s desired outcome for me?
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:22-24 ESV
There was no judgment coming from “mirror guy,” but he didn’t let up on me as the truth went deep inside me.
There can be no second place for our Lord. We cannot be “saved” – yet justify self-centred ways of living that may appeal to us. It is NOT about my comfort or my blindly continuing to follow familiar routines. Truthfully accepting Jesus as my Lord over all things carries a cost. I needed to give all of me over to let Him be my guide for every step. I met the “mirror man’s”stare.
Jesus IS Lord!
Freedom in and through Jesus Christ is a constant and ongoing journey for His children. But taking that decisive step to place Him firmly at the center of everything is a BIG deal. It is the ultimate balancing equation that delivers to us the everlasting gifts of peace, strength and perseverance for all that we will walkthrough.
The man in the mirror helped me see the full truth of what it takes to faithfully walk in Christ every day. I have been thankful to him for his assistance in that revelation every day since.
So … when was the last time YOU had an honest exchange with THE MAN IN THE MIRROR?
