Anybody that reads the articles on this website, should realize that I am a broken child of God. That sounds almost like an oxymoron, except it is the truth for every single Christian on the face of this earth. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;” The problem comes in when we erroneously believe that after confessing our sins (repentance), receiving Jesus into our hearts, and being baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost, that we are now perfect.
One day it will be that way, but for now we live in a fallen world, and we have to strive to become like our Father in Heaven. Ephesians 5:27 “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” This Scripture tells us that Jesus is wanting us to be like Him. He is trying to make us into His image.
God showed me the image of a mirror. The mirror was perfect, without spot, blemish or wrinkle. The mirror represents who we are. When God made us, He created us, He formed us in our mother’s womb to be like that mirror. The problem is, we are then born into this fallen, sinful world, and that puts a huge crack across the entire top of the mirror. Have you ever tried to look into a mirror that is cracked? Not just cracked but busted? The rest of the mirror is still without spot, blemish or wrinkle, but all the way across the top of the mirror, you cannot see clearly because of that huge, busted up part of the mirror.
After you are born, and you go through this life, other cracks and spots and blemishes hinder our ability to clearly see what God intended for us. Hurts, trials, traumas, rejection, sin, and even the tiniest of wrinkles continue to distort our vision as we try to live in this world. The longer we live, the more busted up that mirror becomes. Some people go through harder difficulties and trials, especially as we try to live for Jesus.
Matthew 16:24-26, 24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
This world, and the devil, teaches us to live life the way we want, to do what we want, and to believe that we have no need of a Savior. Jesus died for us, to give us life, and life more abundantly. But the devil doesn’t want us to know that. He wants to tell us living for Jesus is boring and that it is all about a list of do’s and don’ts. He will go to any lengths to keep us from seeing the freedom we have when we let Jesus take over.
2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” This talks about the liberty we have when we walk in God’s Holy Spirit. Yes, there are things we give up, doing whatever we want, living how we want, treating people however our feelings and emotions tell us to treat them. So, what is this “liberty” we have when following Jesus?
We have the option of spending eternity in heaven or hell. When we die, it is not the end. Eternity is time without end. Heaven will be all the good things that we would want in this life, no death, no pain, no trials or tribulations. It will be spent doing what God intended when He created man, and that is to glorify Him. Hell, on the other hand is a place of eternal torment and pain. I have gone through a lot of that already and I do not choose to continue that forever.
Going back to the busted mirror, it tells us in: 2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”. With open face, it is where Jesus died on the Cross for us and as we live for Him, he heals the wounds and holds us securely in His arms as we go through the trials and tribulations. He is the only One who can fix that busted mirror.
He can take away the pain of rejection, He washes away our sin when we confess them to Him, He gives us forgiveness and helps us to forgive those who have done us wrong. He is merciful to us and gives us grace when we have sinned against Him. According to Strong’s Concordance the definition of mercy is “kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them.” The definition of grace is “of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues”.
Don’t use Him for our purposes, trying to use Him to fix us, to fix our problems and to fix others, but let Him use us for His purposes and then watch as He fixes that busted mirror. He will give us love when this world has turned our heart to stone. I have something on my prayer wall that goes like this: I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong. I asked for wisdom and God gave me problems to solve. I asked for prosperity and God gave me brawn and brains to work. I asked for courage and God gave me dangers to overcome. I asked for patience and God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait. I asked for love and God gave me troubled people to help. I asked for favors and God gave me opportunities. I received nothing I wanted. I received everything I needed. My prayers have all been answered.
I am not perfect. I have learned many things through what God has put me through and from my own choices, decisions and mistakes. I have fought God because I didn’t want what He had for me. I didn’t understand His ways until He showed them to me through what I’ve gone through. My mirror still has many cracks in it, but as it says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”. The Lord changes me from glory to glory, one thing at a time into His image. It is for all of us who call upon His Name. Let Him “fix” your busted mirror. Amen!!!
A Miracle in the Life of a Christian
