There are few of us who have made it through life without ever breaking a mirror, but most have never thought long about what the broken mirror reveals. Beyond the superstition about getting seven years of bad luck when you break a mirror, how much have you reflected on what it can show us about ourselves? We are called to reflect God’s light to the world, but what happens when the broken mirror is us? And we are all broken.
The Broken Mirror
“It wasn’t my fault” came instantly from our mouths the moment it happened, adults within earshot could not mistake the sound of broken glass. There was no hiding it, we broke the bathroom mirror, pieces of glass were everywhere! Some of the fragments were reflective side up, others face down with their black coated side showing. It could not be fixed, well not in a way it could serve the same purpose.
This was my experience of breaking a mirror, your story may be similar or starkly different, but still the brokenness was there. Likewise, we are all broken, we have failed far more than once in our lives to be good reflections of Christ.
Not So Original
For all clarity, this allegory of a broken mirror is not my own. The analogy came from Shea Caperoon, a former Elder at Allen Creek Community Church, a few years ago at a Vision Cast event. The mirror reference itself is linked to the book of James in which he says, “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like” James 1:23-24.
Let us get back to the broken mirror. For our purpose it represents us; we are the mirror in its entirety- whole or broken, it is us. Thing is, we were broken from the start; our brokenness comes from long before we were born. It is a brokenness that is passed by blood to every human since the time of Adam, Eve, and the snake in the garden (Genesis 3:3-22). The good news is we are not stuck with a broken and useless mirror.
Now Reflect on This
Even at the most broken points in our lives, what the broken mirror reveals is God’s love for us. As I described the broken mirror, some shards fell reflective side up. The odds of there not being one fragment landing reflective side up are nearly impossible. God’s love makes it no matter how much darkness we have in our lives, or how broken, God’s light is there reflecting in us and from us. We have to be willing to let the light hit the reflective surface and it will begin to restore us.
As we begin to embrace God, the broken pieces slowly begin to flip over to reveal more and more of the reflective side. With each piece turning, we reveal more of God and the light we receive when Jesus emanates from us. Like the broken mirror, we will never be a complete and perfect reflection of God. He can make beautiful things from even the most broken parts of our lives if we let Him.
Reflecting More
- What does your mirror look like now and how does it differ from when you first met Christ?
- What is the piece of broken mirror you are trying to flip over to reveal more of God in you? Is there a brother or sister who can support you to see more of God in this part of your life?
- When you see the beauty of Christ’s love reflecting in others, do you see it in yourself as well?
Please enjoy this video of “Beautiful Things” by Gunger
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