Heart  For The Cross 

At times, my false identity gets in the way of God improving my situation. I am looking at myself through a faulty mirror and not listening to the truths He says about me. I believe the lies the enemy throws at me since I am already low in my spirit. I get stuck and confused in my trials. I listen to the committee in my head, and I am condemned. I need God’s spirit to speak to mine.

Did you know there is such a thing as a True Mirror? When you look in a mirror, who do you see? Not the person other people see, since our reflection in the mirror is backwards. The True Mirror enables us to see ourselves as others see us, which is better than we see ourselves! First patented in 1887, the True Mirror uses a combination of two mirrors, placed at right angles. In order to avoid an obvious line down the middle, the True Mirror uses front silvered mirrors, which have been made to fit together very precisely. There is a small adjustment button at the side, which you can turn to make sure the mirrors are perfectly aligned, and the join down the middle is all but invisible.

Seeing ourselves as others see us is unusual enough. Hold up a piece of writing to the mirror, and you can still read it – it is not reversed. Hold your left hand up to the mirror and you see in the reflection a left hand, not a right hand as you would see in a normal mirror. If you look in the mirror and lean to your left, the reflected person leans to their left, the other way! If you rotate the mirror by 90 degrees, you will now see yourself upside down…

People have different reactions to seeing themselves for the first time in a True Mirror. Some prefer the image they see, others do not. Some find it quite disconcerting. Check it out on: www.truemirror.com

God does this for us as well. He shows us what we have been placing our values in and basing our identity upon. Usually it is other people’s opinions, thoughts and reactions that shape our identity. We worry what about what they think if they knew our real problems and our real selves. We can believe it is our possessions, achievements, successes that define us, too.  These are lies from the enemy, attempting to keep you in bondage, in a prison of worthlessness, shame and contempt. Do not buy into his lies. God tells you who you are, really. You are a son or daughter of El Elyon, the Most High God!

Most people express surprise when they first see their true image when looking into the True Mirror, mainly because we all are so familiar with the backwards image. After all, we have seen ourselves backwards our whole lives, from infancy! There are key differences in the True Mirror image from the image you’re used to, due in part to natural asymmetries that are on our faces, or from how we part our hair, or single earrings, etc.

A lot of first time viewers have difficulties with their new true image. This discomfort is directly related to having our faces represented in a direction opposite to what we’ve always expected to see. For example, any asymmetry in your face seems exaggerated the first time we look into the mirror — if a facial feature tilts 1 degree to the right, now it appears 1 degree in the other direction, a distance of 2 degrees from what is expected. On top of that, we tilt our heads naturally, especially when we communicate to others. This causes our eyes to not to line up as we are used to seeing them in a mirror — which gives one a sense of lopsidedness.

Oh my! I can have low self-esteem if my hair doesn’t look good or I do not like my outfit for that day! If someone’s opinion of me is poor, than I feel badly. Some days, we feel we can see it on someone’s face; we just don’t quite measure up. It can really send our day into a downward spiral. Consequently, I start to feel inadequate. Therefore, I will try to perform or give a better performance in my work, my family life and my ministry. Instead, I need to experience God and share with Him how I am feeling. My worth in God is always stable; it never changes, because God never changes. He loves unconditionally no matter how much I do, work or make myself behave. I need to listen to His gentle voice of love and not the condemning voice in my head.

My self-worth is always true in Jesus and only received in relationship with the Triune God. I find the concept of the True Mirror fascinating. We do not truly see our real selves when we look into a regular mirror. We need to see and learn our true identity is found in Christ, because our true identity is rooted in Love—which is God, who is Divine, Absolute love. He is our true mirror, reflecting a beautiful person who is worth dying for and worth listening to. You are worth being known. Your opinion matters to Jesus. He will gently correct you as necessary.1 Corinthians 13:11-13 (NKJV) says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” We long to be truly known by our friends, family and associates. Verse 13 is awesome! “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

We are conformed into the image of Christ as we share in His sufferings. The scriptures tell us in Phil. 1:29, “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him.” It is a privilege to suffer for Him! I had not thought of suffering like this before. Synonyms for privilege are fitting, honor, treat, pleasure, and joy, source of pride, freedom and opportunity. Jesus is our source of pride. We honor Him as we suffer joyfully as the Apostle Paul did. Is this one way, God conforms us into the image of Jesus? So, we can honor Him with our attitudes while in the opportunity of suffering? Yes. We also have the opportunity to see and know our true self in knowing Him as He knows us in the suffering times. I believe this is true. There can be joy knowing God is with you, for you, loving you. His presence is precious and sweet. God is also transforming us unto the image of Christ to the original intent He had planned for us, even before we were born.