Mirror Mirror, Tell Me the Truth!

Facing our undeniable imperfections

In the fairy tale, a queen and her magic mirror engaged in a daily dialogue. The queen would start with a question: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” Though she knew exactly what the reply was, she took immense pleasure at the words the mirror uttered. It invariably responded: “My Queen, you are the fairest in the land.” As the mirror never lied, its response was all she needed to hear to boost her confidence.

One fateful day, however, the mirror responded with truth other than what the queen expected, that another maiden in the forest was indeed fairer. The shocking truth drove her into a state of profound distress. From that moment on, the queen became obsessed with the thought of eliminating her rival. She was unwilling to live in a world where she was not No. 1. A simple glance at the mirror was enough to shake this woman’s whole life.

Though mirrors do not talk in real life, they deliver undeniable truths every single day! As we gaze upon our own reflections, they reveal a multitude of facets about ourselves! We do not always like what we see. As we notice imperfections, we try getting the right lighting or even changing position to improve the image reflected back at us. After a few minutes of “fighting” with what we see, we understand that nothing is going to change. The mirror does not lie. On a good day, we may just embrace what we see; on a difficult day, we try hard to avoid the object hanging on the wall, seeking to escape the visual reminder of imperfections that cause us distress.

Have you ever looked in the mirror and seen a lot more than your physical reflection? It might reveal a bit of hidden fear, a root of bitterness, a hint of jealousy – those ugly spots we don’t really like to acknowledge. We know that moving the object around will not help, so we search for a better light by looking for answers elsewhere. We talk to some key people. We go to those people who love the Lord and love us enough to tell us the truth. It may not always be easy to hear what they have to say, but sincere friends serve as invaluable mirrors. “Wounds from a friend can be trusted,” we read in Proverbs 27:6a.

David is one of the most beloved characters in the Bible. His psalms show us how much he genuinely loved the Lord. They have clear reflections of his good and bad days. But even David needed help to see his blind spots.

The prophet Nathan was an incredible mirror for David. You may remember that Nathan shared a story with the king about a rich man who had everything and yet took the only ewe lamb that belonged to a poor man. David burned with anger and gave his verdict: The greedy rich man had to die! It was then that Nathan told him plainly that the story was about the king himself! Upon contemplating his ugly reflection, David declared, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

The king may not have enjoyed what he saw in the mirror, but he did not fight it; rather, he dealt with it. “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Ps. 32:5).

I am deeply grateful for the insightful “mirrors” that have graced my life throughout the years. I hope that you, too, have mirrors that will faithfully reflect the truth, guiding you on your own journey.