A Look in the Mirror - Week 5

            Hello, and welcome to this week’s reflection. This week, we explored biblical ugliness and let me just say: it took me a while to really wrap my head around this one. I can say with some certainty that this is because I forgot that beauty’s number one standard is God’s love. That love is the model by which all beauty is measured. Once I remembered that, I was on my way to understanding it.

            Now, it’s important to remember that good and bad are mutually exclusive, but not a one-time deal. We are sinful, but if we repent, we are forgiven, and our slate is wiped clean. That doesn’t mean that we will never sin again, but it’s another chance at life. The same thing is true of beauty and ugliness. We have moments of ugliness, a time without love, but if we remain in God’s embrace, then we will find His beauty again.

            This week, I’ve been looking at my own behaviors, and how I treat others, and I ask myself: “Is this treating someone with love, or not?” It’s as simple as that. Now often, I’ll find that I’m not being as loving as I should be, and so I’ll try to correct that. Still, I’m far from perfect. I’m not going to say that anybody must be perfect, not for a single moment. Ultimately, it’s about the thoughts behind our actions that dictate whether we are being ugly or not.

            Tying this in with the sermon that we’ve been talking about for the past couple of weeks, when we are ugly to someone, we should repent and ask for forgiveness. This should be done to God, to the other person, and to ourselves. When we’re ugly to someone, we show a lack of love in our hearts, if only for a moment. So, we should ask forgiveness of that person, understanding that we may have made them feel bad. We should ask God for forgiveness, for if we treat someone else poorly, we’re treating a reflection of God poorly.

Finally, we should forgive ourselves. Often, we are our own worst critics, and I know this very well. So, take time the next time you say or do something harmful, and remind yourself that you’re flawed, but loved. No matter what you do, you always have Christ in your corner, cheering you on.

This week, I’m going to be more mindful of the way that I speak to others and ask myself if it’s from a place of love or not. I hope that you have a great week, and please remember to subscribe, like, or follow. Again, have a wonderful week, and God bless!