I have a lot of mirrors in my house. You might think I’m just vain, but when I step out the way I’m actually fascinated by the light they reflect. Not only do they reflect light, they show off the room just as it is. Well, almost. Sometimes mirrors are distorted, especially the ones in department stores. They always add twenty pounds and a few dark circles under your eyes. I’m not sure why. But other than those unfortunate department store mirrors that mock our desire to squeeze into a summer bathing suit, our mirrors in our home reflect the design of the room and the life that is lived there. Sometimes I’m happy with what I see, but other times it is a big mess.
I don’t know about your place, but every time I catch a glimpse of my my house, I tend to see it falling apart faster than I feel like I can keep up with it. Our windows get smudged with dog noses every five point four minutes. Yes, I’ve calculated it. Dishes get dirty several times a day. Laundry covers 400 square feet of surfaces. Beds are unmade at least once a day times the number of children currently residing in our home. Wall paint gets bashed into more than twice a day. Smoke detector batteries die in the middle of the night because there is some unwritten code to drive us insane running around the house trying to figure out where that piercing beep is coming from in the middle of our deep sleep. Countless dust bunnies are living under the furniture. You get it. These things likely happen at your house too.
If I reflect on those imperfections too much – all the little bits of undone and unraveling that plot together and threaten to define me and my house as a hot mess – hopelessness might set in.
But seeing the mirrored image of those same flaws that seem so fragile and broken are also lovely in their own way.
Anything that comes undone reflects all that is loved, cherished and worth the sacrifice.
That view of all.the.things we love that fall apart and get torn apart make the upkeep and effort to overcome and get ahead of them worth the effort right there.
Besides watching all the ways our house comes unhinged before my weary eyes, I find joy in creating something because its reflection will be something more pure and lovely than what it was.
A beautiful room, a freshly made bed, a good dinner, newly painted cabinet, a clean kitchen or a dog-nose-free window might seem a frivolous pursuit in light of all that is more noble or more praiseworthy in the world, but it is one of the simple ways I love to reflect God and glorify Him.
We are all His image bearers.
Slowing down to deliberately create something beautiful and resisting all that threatens to fog up the reflection in the mirror is to honor who He is.
While we might have to fight against looking through a cloudy smudged mirror that threatens to magnify all that is unraveled, a little polishing of our perspective can give us hope of what was promised and the motivation to believe what He says is true.
The good news is that we aren’t doomed to just stay as we are and embrace the mess we’ve made, but we can clean up and mend the broken pieces by His grace and we are empowered to grow and reflect even more beautiful things.
And as we transform what we see in the mirror into something more lovely than it was before, we can also overcome the envy of those neighbors as they humbly seek to reflect Him in their own way. You know the neighbors I’m talking about, the Joneses in that beautiful home next door. How can we be envious, critical or depressed by what others have to offer when what is reflected is a generous and beautiful gift from the same praise-worthy God? Both reflections are lovely and to be praised.
It’s good to reflect on what is true and lovely, isn’t it?
Leave a Comment“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right,whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
{Philippians 4:8}
Bev Duncan @ Walking Well With God says
Melissa,
I love the picture of the dogs and the toilet paper – I’ve been there lol. Thank you for a wonderful reminder that what we might think is an exercise in futility can actually be an unfolding of grace. As you say, ” by His grace we are empowered to grow and reflect even more beautiful things.”
Blessings,
Bev
melissa @ the inspired room says
Amen. Thanks Bev! 🙂
Meredith Bernard says
Love your beautiful mirrors and your beautiful heart, Melissa. 🙂 And I love all of these words, because they speak to me, “The good news is that we aren’t doomed to just stay as we are and embrace the mess we’ve made, but we can clean up and mend the broken pieces by His grace and we are empowered to grow and reflect even more beautiful things.” Thank you for sharing your heart and home with us today! xoxo, Meredith
melissa @ the inspired room says
Thank you Meredith! xo Melissa
Kelli Moore says
Powerful. Such true words and a great way to start my day.
melissa @ the inspired room says
Thanks for stopping by and the encouragement, Kelli!
Jeri says
All of it…so true. Especially the part about the smoke detector batteries. Love your incouraging post this morning. Thank you!
melissa @ the inspired room says
Thanks Jeri!
Deborah W says
Incredible.. THANK-YOU!!!! <3
melissa @ the inspired room says
Thanks for your kind words, Deborah!
Susan G. says
Well said! I thought these thoughts yesterday when I went into a bathroom to clean up lots of dust bunnies from beside the toilay! Yep, that is a French word… 😉 I have to practice in my mind each and every day “I am doing it for the Lord”, or I might go bonkers that the cleaning never ends… Thanks for this great verse. It’s one of my very favorites! I try to remember to recite it when my mind also wanders to the negative things in life.
I want to practice an “abundant life”, for all He has given me!
Thank you- Be blessed!
melissa @ the inspired room says
Yes, it is easy to go bonkers with all we have to do, but we can live life to the full when we remember to look at the blessings as the gift that they are!
Thanks Susan!
Brenda says
The undoing is a constant spiritual & emotional battleground for me. At times I can embrace that ‘chaos is love’ heart attitude that I know The Lord is trying to teach me; other times it is the undoing that is my undoing. But there is always joy in the doing and redoing, making our world beautiful and caring for all the many blessings he has given us.
melissa @ the inspired room says
Yes indeed, it can be quite an up and down journey to be molded into who God is trying to shape us to be! Thank goodness for grace and joy in the process and hope and rest in the promises!
Nancy Ruegg says
Your words polished my spirit today! By God’s grace I CAN be empowered to grow and reflect his grace to others. I CAN be an instrument of love, peace, joy and more. May my words and deeds create beauty, that glorify him. Thank you, Melissa, for your encouragement.
Marty says
Love this post and your insight! Really encouraged me today. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
Beautiful. I’m so grateful that He looks at us and sees the finished product, shining with His light and reflecting His character. I wish we could see ourselves that way more often – looking at ourselves and seeing what the Bible says we are, instead of seeing the mess. 🙂
Sharon says
This is beautiful. I often get overly stressed and anxious about the cleanliness of my house. Taking this perspective will allow me to see cleaning and tidying as an act of worship and joy. Thank you thank you thank you.
Kate @ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating says
This is such a great reminder! Thank you so much for the encouragement! xoxo
Beth WIlliams says
Loved this Melissa! It is true that what we have and how we transform it into something more beautiful-it reflects God!