A glazier is an artisan responsible for cutting, installing, and removing glass.
God is a glazier.
Imagine this: we have this mirror. And the mirror’s job is to show sin. All our ugliness, all our junk, all the things we cannot hide from ourselves, and some stuff that no other people get to see. Mirrors tell the truth. And the truth is that for all of us, sin is a big problem—a deathly big problem.
Our mirror is looking busted—there are cracks everywhere, the glass won’t stay polished, the frame is chipped and peeling away. This mirror looks worthless. And we know we cannot fix it. But what if God gives us a new mirror?
god gets to mirror making
Jesus. The Son. The Christ.
Jesus who emptied himself and became one of us, who was humble and obedient even to death.
Jesus came, lived, died, and resurrected to rescue us from the sin we see in the mirror.
We were incapable of rescuing ourselves. So God, being “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,” took it upon himself to rescue us (Exodus 34:6). Jesus’s rescue of us comes at his own shame, humiliation, and death. Sin brings death and enslavement to all of us. The only way to conquer sin—to bring life and freedom to all of us—is for a sinless person to die. And who can achieve a sinless life except Christ, who is both fully human and fully divine?
Jesus died to bring us life in place of death and freedom instead of bondage.
new mirror, new you
Because of Jesus, we get life and freedom. And we get a new mirror to see ourselves. Gone is the mirror of sin and death. We’ve got something priceless now, handcrafted frames and polished glass that doesn’t crack. Jesus’s death gives us the opportunity to replace the vision of us in the mirror with himself. Because, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new is come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). And the new “us” that we get isn’t a “human being round two.”
This is salvation by grace. We can now put on the new self, “which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:10).
The girl in the mirror is forgiven, redeemed, renewed, indwelled and empowered with the Holy Spirit. She now has the ability to resist the temptation of sin, ask for forgiveness, and strength for repentance.
Girl, God’s salvation looks good on you.
Not always seeing myself accurately. Sometimes focusing on the old mirror and allowing negative thoughts to dominate and defeat or seeing the “best of myself” . I want to focus on the image of a redeemed daughter of the King. Beautiful in God’s eyes!
It frustrates me that I continue to dwell on my past mistakes, even when I know I have been forgiven after I have repented. I ask for forgiveness, then the next day I will say, "You remember that shame that I have God, yeah, well I am so sorry", why do I feel I need to repent over and over? Is it a trust thing?
Even though I know the new mirror exists in me through the power of the Holy Spirit, I keep making some of the same mistakes and succumb to the same temptations. But I am not giving up on me and I know God hasn’t either. Thank you Jesus.
Sometimes I still compare myself to others and feel less … pretty, athletic, etc.
In the fear of the unknown. I know I am saved. I know that God in His Goodness wants me with Him. I know that He has me. I can trust Him. And yet…yet…yet, My human heart pouts that I have time of uncertainty. Instead of renewing and lengthening my time spent with God, I want to sit on the couch and pout…thinking woe is me! All I have to do is pray, "God I trust you." That is it. And then get on with my day.
In many regards, I keep choosing to look back in that old mirror. I want to compare how I look in the old and new mirror, as to see if I can tell how much I’ve changed. But then get lost and drown in the old mirror, seeing instead all the ways which I haven’t changed.
By not letting the Holy Spirit work in me, because I think I can’t be changed. Because I think I’m not worth. Or why would he want me. Not seeing God’s real power.
I tend to compare myself, A LOT.
The old mirror of stubbornness. Letting the words of others block a message that may be good for my soul. How can someone speak on how they love you and want you to be saved and the next words are you are evil or devil because you want succumb to their words or interpretation. I want to find my own way I want their and learn my Lords voice for myself. The anger I feel only closes my mouth to ignore what is being said which is how I still carry around the old mirror.
doubt. my decisions at times can carry a heavy weight.