Monday, September 29, 2008

On a recent business trip, we had a beautiful hotel room. It was very well equipped. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t remember the last time we stayed in a room with a real makeup mirror. I was very excited about this addition to our room thinking that, like the Jefferson’s on the old television show, we had moved-on-up! But the bathroom was poorly lit, so I decided to take the fancy mirror into the bedroom and sit by the window. I got all nice and comfy, eager to leisurely apply my makeup while I listened to the daily news.
The make-up mirror had two sides--one that is a normal view and one that magnifies. Knowing which side would be the best call for me, I quickly flipped the mirror over to the magnified side. Then I grabbed my eyeliner, looked into the mirror, and almost screamed in horror. Every imperfection on my face was as prominent as a black worm on a yellow rose. At first, I wasn’t sure where to place the blame—was it the magnified mirror or the light coming through the window or was I just that bad!
As I forced myself to look back into the mirror, it soon became apparent that the most condemning thing was the light coming in the window. I noticed that if I just moved the slightest bit, keeping the light from coming in directly on my face, I looked so much better. Then it hit me. The Bible mentions the word “light” a few hundred times so obviously there is a lesson to be learned. Psalm 118 tells us that God MADE his light to shine on us. So what kind of light could be shining in my window to make me look so awful? Well, there are two lights we are exposed to each day. One is the light of the world and the other is the light God made for us.
When we view things through the light of the world, an unforgiving shadow is cast on whatever it is we are viewing. But if we view those same things through the light of God, a forgiving shadow is cast and we, the object, appear softer and smoother. The world’s light does nothing to bring out the best in us. It is dimmed by tragedy and heartache and rarely does it want to show the good in people. It wants to make any imperfection in us appear larger.
As a busy mom, sometimes it’s hard to see yourself through the eyes of God. Your job is demanding, your children are demanding and sometimes even your church activities are demanding. You, no doubt, question your decisions a few hundred times a week and world bombards you with it's view of what's really important. But God is faithful and loves you unconditionally. He doesn’t shine his light on you to show your imperfections; rather he shines his light on you to show his perfection. His perfect love and grace cover you and make you perfect in his eyes.
Bathe in God’s light as it is richly poured over you so you will shine like the stars in universe. And there’s no brighter star than being a mom. Allow God to show you that being a mom is a job of huge importance and significance. Enjoy today, embrace it--even if it brings stress and confusion. It’s the day the Lord has given you and he will redeem it for his mighty purpose.

Hugs, Chrys

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