House of Mirrors

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2a

I was in the sixth grade when I first ventured into the House of Mirrors at my hometown county fair — a mere 12 years old. My friends and I ran from booth to booth, suckered into paying good money to play rigged games. For hours, we gave cash to various carnival characters in hopes of winning a silly prize or a cheesy piece of jewelry. But of all the sideshows at the carnival, the House of Mirrors captured my attention.

We walked through maze-like halls, giggling at the distorted images. Short and stubby. Tall and lanky. I looked at the various versions of myself and tried to decide which I liked best. Deep inside, in a place no one knew existed, I longed for another version of me.

I now realize that people everywhere grow up with a distorted view of who they really are. They look into the mirror and see words that don’t match the truth about who God created them to be.

They look into the mirror of value and see the word worthless. They look into the mirror of success and see the word failure. They look into the mirror of intelligence and see the word stupid. They look into the mirror of acceptance and see the word rejected. They look into the mirror of confidence and see the word insecure. They look into the mirror of sufficiency and see the words not enough.

Many people live in a house of mirrors, believing distorted interpretations of who they are — and the devil polishes that mirror of deception daily.

I know the House of Mirrors well. I grew up there. I lived there for years. For decades, feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy held me captive to a “less-than” life. I was misshaped by the words of others and interpreted by a needy little boy who just wanted to be accepted and loved.

You might expect me to say, “But then I met Jesus, and all my insecurities miraculously disappeared.” Oh, I wish that were the case, but that little insecure, lost boy, grew up to become an insecure Christian man. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-50’s that I began to look into the only mirror that really matters: God’s truth.

I remember when an older man in a church I was attending told me it was time to renew my mind with the truth of who I was as a child of God. And then God began a new work in my mind and heart. Just think about these truths...

You are a saint. (Ephesians 1:1)
You are chosen. (Ephesians 1:11)
You are dearly loved. (Colossians 3:12)
You are holy. (Colossians 1:22)
You are reconciled through Christ. (Romans 5:10)
You are justified by Christ’s blood. (Romans 5:9)
You are free from condemnation. (Romans 8:1)
You have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
You can do all things through Christ. (Philippians 4:13)

So I’m challenging you too! Decide today to silence the inner critic that's holding you hostage. Silence the lies that try to steal your confidence and stop you from looking into the mirror of God’s truth. After all, God’s truth is the only mirror that really matters!

God bless you,

Pastor Paul