What Do You See in the Mirror?

The facebook page, Mindful Christianity, is dedicated to bring a smile to your face or offer a word of encouragement to your life.

Recently, they posted this story of two dogs.

Both dogs, at separate times, walk into the same room. One comes out wagging his tail while the other comes out growling.

A woman watching this goes into the room to see what could possibly make one dog so happy and the other so mad. To her surprise she finds a room filled with mirrors.

The happy dog found a thousand happy dogs looking back at him while the angry dog saw only angry dogs growling back at him. What you see in the world around you is a reflection of who you are.

This story reminds us of this Biblical exhortation in James 1:22-35

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

What do you see when you look into the mirror?

Do you see your own faults, or the faults of others?

Do you see your need for improvement, or how others can be better?

Do you see the need to grow your faith, or the weakness of others’ faith?

Do you see your failure to be a worker for the Lord, or do you see others’ failure to work?

It may be like the snarling dog, a constant and hyper-criticism of our brethren, is merely a reflection of our own failure, negativism, and spiritual shortcomings? Our attitude and our lack of perception to clearly see ourselves as God sees us may be projected on those around us.

The late Myron Thomas, who served as one of the Shepherds at the Jackson Heights church in Columbia, Tennessee, loved to tell the story about the old fellow sitting on the front porch in his little community.

A visitor driving by spotted the fellow and stopped to ask, “We’re thinking about moving here, what are the people like in this community?”

The local man asked, “What are the folks like back where you live?”

“Oh, “replied the visitor, “They’re very unfriendly. Not neighborly. Selfish. Always looking out for themselves. Gossips. And busybodies.”

“Well,” replied the old man knowingly, “I think that’s the way you’ll find folks here.”

Later, another visitor came by and saw the same old fellow and asked, We’re thinking about moving here? What are the people like?”

Again, the local man asked, “What are the folks like where you live?”

“Oh,” the visitor responded, “they’re wonderful. Friendly. Kind. Neighborly. Good people.”

The old fellow smiled and said, “Well, I think that’s the kind of people you’ll find here.

The moral to these stories is apparent. What you see around you and in other people, may simply be a reflection of your character and who you are.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman