What the Mirror Says To You

Could you get excited about something you can do that will change your moods, your expectations—even your results? I first began to discover this principle when a friend cautiously whispered, “My mirror talks to me.” As I listened, I realized that her mirror was no friend. In fact, it was regularly telling her that she was fat, stupid and unloved.

Incredibly, two weeks later, another woman told me that her mirror talked to her. Again, the mirror was unkind. My curiosity was piqued. I began an informal survey that has lasted more than five years asking scores of women the question “Does your mirror talk to you?”

The results have been astounding. Yes, mirrors were, indeed, talking to women—to EVERYONE I asked! Not always did my interviewees report actual conversations coming from the mirror. However, if asked, “What is your first thought when you look in the mirror,” the message ALWAYS proved to be both NEGATIVE and SPECIFIC!

Oh yes! I, too, have had the mirror mock me—for a pimple, a wrinkle, extra pounds or perhaps some incident where I was clumsy, hostile, weak, overbearing, rejected… fill in the blank. And for the record, there is definitely a man-mirror working as well.

Here are some things I’ve learned about mirrors:

• Mirrors can’t reflect without light. We must have a light source and we are NOT that source. We’re too involved. It was God who said, “Light, be!” He is pure light…and in Him is no shifting shadow—no distortion! He alone is our reliable reflective source.

• Mirrors are not all created equal. No one has seen his own face; we depend on reflection. In the same way, no one perceives his spiritual self apart from the reflection others give us. There are shows at carnivals where rows of mirrors reflect myriad distorted physical images. People who have spoken into our lives JUST MIGHT BE reflecting distorted images of our value. Question your sources.

• Mirrors can be used to tame reflections. Those accusations can be shut down! Did you know that your mouth overpowers your mind? Try this. Silently THINK your ABCs. Now begin to SAY your 123s…aloud. Where are your ABCs? Gone! Every time! Your spoken words will REPLACE your unspoken thoughts. What you SPEAK can give you control and produce a change in the one you see in your mirror.

For millennia this simple truth has been used for good by those who have discovered it. Even if you are unaware of its power, it’s still working—for or against you. Your reflection (or view of yourself) is being formed by the words you allow. They build up or tear down. The light you have walked in shapes what you see in your mirror. There is a Light that comes from God. That light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has NEVER put it out. John 1:5 (GNB)

Grab your mirror today. Speak truth into it. Watch your reflection shine!