Heart Reflections ~ Part 2

We select our clothing and look in a mirror.

We watch ourselves as we brush our teeth, fix our hair, put on makeup, pluck our eyebrows, and select our accessories. Then we stand back and see how the whole appearance looks. We grab our coat and bag and give ourselves one more glance before walking out the door. During the drive, we put on lip gloss and before we walk into our appointment, we take one more moment to make sure our hair is in place.

Does all this staring into our looking glasses reveal our vanity, or are we just peering upon the wrong reflections?

All that is depicted above is a general average of how many times a young woman might see her reflection in a mirror when preparing to go out in public. Obviously we need mirrors for the placement of hair, the selection of flattering fashion, and for our beauty and hygiene regimens. The sole drive to accomplish these things is not just because we need to, but rather we want to be admired or accepted by others. We think about what others might think so we alter our likes to fit theirs.

As I've said before, it's okay to have the desire to be accepted. We are created with a sense of community. The imbalance happens when we make an idol out of either a crowd's or a person's acceptance rather than considering what our Creator thinks of us.

I'll be the first to admit that I easily fall into the sleepy slumber of a passive Christian life. Yet if I consider what my Heavenly Father thinks about me, how can I stay content with the old passive me? We need to desire His loving acceptance.

So we're going to need to peer into our reflections.
And that means we'll need a mirror,
 but not the one where we put on blush or pick broccoli out of our teeth. This mirror is not reflecting our external appearance, but rather the inward person -- our hearts, minds, and souls. I like to call these heart reflections, and sometimes it can be easy to push aside the grooming of the inward heart. Maybe it's because we don't want to or we have an overly hectic schedule. Things happen, and day by day it's easy to put off the inward upkeep for the One who always sees us -- Christ! If you don't floss and brush your teeth, what will happen? Decay will set in and your smile might resemble more of a jack-o-lantern. If you don't care for your hair, it will become knotted, gunky, and smelly. So why don't we think about our inward hearts the same way?

We are most prone to decay of the inward heart because Satan wants to pull us away from Christ. Can he succeed? The Bible says nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, but can he stunt our effective Christian life? Yes! We will not be positively impacting others.

So what type of mirror do we need? Our Father has made one that enables us to peer right into our souls. It's the Word and if you haven't read it today, yesterday, or the day before, you are in need of some serious grooming. His Word will wash you and make you ready.

 I know what a busy life is like and I struggle in this area, but would we ever leave our homes half-dressed and smelly? Probably never! Yet many of us are walking around like this on the interior. We are in need of an inward makeover.

For the next few weeks, let's talk about heart reflections and how we can spend time peering into our souls. The last post on Silk and Purple was a photo. Use it as a gift from Silk and Purple! Print it out and hang it on your mirror to help you with some exterior, and interior, grooming before you walk out the door.