There’s a joke around our house about how long it takes me to get ready each morning. It seems like there is a regiment of 54 steps,I must go through to look and feel ready for the day. My husband many times walks by me, as I am busily applying each layer of readiness. He often says, “What step are you on, Honey?” I always laugh and tell him some random number in response. I’ve never really counted each step, it’s just a routine we laugh about. Some mornings I glance at my reflection and I see the task ahead is bound to be monumental. I need a shower to start the ball rolling….then comes the hair washing and drying, putting in all those curlers and applying gel products…..then the 20 or more steps to applying the make-up, eyeliner, shadow, concealer, wrinkle cream, bronzer and so the steps add up to that magic number.
It just so happens, if I’m having a very good day, these steps actually work and I look “pretty good, “ (Now, you must know I never compare myself to those 25 years olds as that would be pure folly!) Those positive days, my inner self remembers what it saw in the mirror and my footsteps are lighter and more carefree. All day long, I don’t even mind surveying my image in a mirror or store window reflection.
In contrast, the days when the reflection doesn’t tell lies, the opposite outcome can be true. I see very plainly that my hair doesn’t cooperate and there are bags under my eyes with deep shadows that the concealer can't cover; not to mention a new gray hair with accompanied wrinkles. But this time, this“glimpse” has a different resulting behavior. My steps seem much slower. The day seems extra hard to get through, and I reflect on my age more.
Can you relate to this reflection problem?
Similarly, our walk with the Lord correlates to a different kind of reflection. Beth Moore once said “We will reflect the God who we believe Him to be.” We are directly affected by our concept of Him.
Our belief system is key. Is our God BIG enough to give us that “bounce” we need each day to make it a spiritually victorious day? Or is our God too SMALL and not even a reference point, as we face each day’s challenges?
Is our belief system well developed?
Do we often reflect on who God is and how much He wants us to graft ourselves deeply into Him, so that we can draw upon the power that He has to offer.
Do our minds remember even a few of the characteristics of God? For example:
When we get discouraged, do we think God is my only real hope?
When the task is unsurmountable, do we think God is mighty?
When our mind is troubled, do we think God is good?
When we think you don’t measure up to God’s standard, do we think God is our salvation?
One good way spiritually to “reflect” on the God of the Bible is to keep a journal. I recommend making a spot in a journal to write down all the attributes of God we discover in our daily Bible readings . If we meditate and memorize them, our behavior will mirror that “true God” and His characteristics throughout each day .
Here are a few characteristics that I would enter in the “God-page” in my journal:
God is a warrior Exodus 15:30
God is trustworthy Deuteronomy 7:9
God is too great to be described I Kings 8 ;27
God is gracious and merciful Nehemiah 9:31
God is good Psalm 34:8
God helps people when they are in trouble Psalms 46:1
God is mighty Psalm 50:1
God is our hope Psalm 71:5
God is near everyone Psalm 75:1
God is our salvation Isaiah 12:2
God is our Father Matthew 6:9
God is all knowing Romans 11:33
God is approachable James 4:12
This beginning list should get us started. There are many more characteristics, I am sure we will discover as we dig into this study.
Take a moment and reexamine what and where our belief systems have come from. God can’t be manufactured in our minds as then He would be a false god. Who He is must be derived carefully from what the scripture teaches.
It kind of reminds me of going through 54 steps to be prepared for the day. Spiritually, when I see a clear picture of who God is, my foundation is secure and my whole day is positive. When I take my eyes off of Him and look to something else for joy and security, the opposite is true.
Others will want what we have, if we prepare ourselves by knowing who God is and deepen our belief system.
The more time spent with God, the greater the radiance!
