Looking in the mirror...

The above picture is one of my favorite paintings by Norman Rockwell.
Years ago, when I took an art history class, I dissected this painting and its layers. The layer that I focused on the most was the fact that: what we want to see, is not always what we do see. In this painting you see a girl with a magazine open on her lap, of an obviously "photo-shopped" actress...now look at the girl in the mirror, look into her eyes---I mean REALLY look into her eyes.You see a brokenness and confusion, you also see a since of awe. The girl is not seeing who she wants to see, but she also is not sure who she should see.

This concept of  "looking in the mirror" can be applied to your soul life as well. Have you looked at yourself in the the mirror recently. I  don't mean to comb your hair, or fix your makeup. Take a few minutes today go in front of a mirror and look at yourself, don't focus on anything but your eyes. What do you see?
Eyes have been said to be the opening to ones soul, I must say that I believe this. Sometimes, you will love what you see and other times, like me, you will see a complete stranger.

I have gone through many soul transformations over the past 10 years, which have resulted in a different spiritual transformations each time. When I was about 21, I actually wrote a song about trying to understand. Here is an excerpt:

"I've been looking in the mirror at a picture of myself
But the Polaroid seems too fuzzy, like I'm seein' someone else
Can't feel this way anymore, gotta get away
Don't know what I'm waitin' for another time another day.

I could go on dreamin' dreamin' of what will be
but that won't get me no where
at least thats how it seems"

Little did I know, that I was right. I really had no idea of what my soul would eventually take on and I had no idea of how often I would look in the mirror and see someone I did not know.

I can't help but think that God finds himself chuckling at my reaction every time I  look at myself, sometimes, I even chuckle. I don't know who I am, yes that scares me BUT  I do know: I am a beautiful child of God and I am made in HIS image, so I guess---whoever it is I see in the mirror, can't be all that bad!

The next time you look in the mirror, stop for a second and try to see what God sees, you might be surprised.