Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? This famous quote from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs often reflects our most common use of a mirror: to see ourselves (with a tinge of vanity!). We would all agree that being presentable is definitely more appealing than the opposite.
We all love to look good and rightly so. We brush our hair and style it to impress. We put on cream with some finishing touches of make-up as we doll up. We make sure nothing is stuck between our teeth as there’s nothing more embarrassing than revealing our meal through our smile.
Car mirrors
While driving though, the mirrors in the car are not for us to look at ourselves. In a moving vehicle, it would be very dangerous to use the mirror as we normally do, which is to see our own reflection. Imagine a driver focusing on oneself in the mirror while driving. We can all see how this could easily lead to disaster.
All the mirrors in the car, from the front mirror to the side mirrors, are positioned at such an angle that instead of seeing ourselves, show places that are otherwise out of our normal vision. When the car is moving, be it forward or backward when reversing, the mirrors function to widen our otherwise limited stereoscopic view.
Having an owl-like scope of view which includes an almost 360° field of vision with the exception of the tiny blind spots helps keep us from most hazards when we use it wisely.
Recently though I drove with one of my side mirror slightly tilted inwards which gave me a rather huge fright. I could not see the cars approaching me from the sides and felt so uneasy that I stopped at the nearest possible parking to fix it as soon as I could.
Although I had been using both the front and side mirrors all the while, this incident highlighted the importance of these car mirrors that we often take for granted.
The brief yet constant peeks through these mirrors provide us with a good enough glimpse of what’s behind us as well as what’s beside us that might pose any danger to us as we are moving towards our destination. This protects us and keeps us pretty safe as we go from one place to another.
Life mirrors
Likewise it is important to have mirrors as we journey through life. We need life mirrors that not only provide us with a clear reflection of who we are when we are stationary but also reflect what’s around us that might under normal circumstances go unnoticed.
The Holy Spirit should be our large center mirror in the car we refer to the most when driving. The Holy Spirit guides us and also speaks to our conscience about potential harm surrounding us. The tingly feeling we get when we distinguish the bad from the good is the Holy Spirit impartation of discernment.
Just as the center mirror shows us a wide view of things behind us that are coming, the Holy Spirit reveals to us under-the-radar attacks which are approaching us allowing us to swerve out of harm's path or warning us not to change lanes into harm’s lane.
The more we rely on the Holy Spirit, the more we are aware of our surrounding enabling us to make better informed decisions in life. From the very small mundane choices to the extremely big life impacting ones, we begin to discern God’s plans in them all.
Human mirrors
2 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 16-18 records, ‘So all of us, with our faces unveiled, see and reflect the glory of the Lord as in a mirror. We are being transformed into the same mirror image, whose glory grows brighter and brighter. This is what the Lord the Spirit does.’
It tells us the account of the Israelites whose eyes were covered as if with a veil because they rejected meeting God in contrast with that of Moses who radiated God’s presence in freedom after his encounter with God on Mount Sinai.
Yes, we too, you and I included, can be mirrors and God reflectors shining brighter and brighter as Moses did, when we choose to turn to Him and seek Him continually. Let’s be mirrors positioned in the right angle to reflect God’s glory and keep others on the safe path towards Him.
Esther Koh is a primary school teacher living in Christchurch with her husband and two sons. She loves people and has a passion for helping others find their purpose for living.
Esther Koh’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/esther-koh.html