Holding the Mirror

Several years ago I was looking at a picture of a woman. She was holding my new infant grandson, wearing one of my outfits and standing in my living room. The angle of the photo was from her side and I didn’t recognize her for a second because she had age spots on the side of her face. Then it hit me, “Oh my! That’s me! What? I have age spots on the side of my face??” No one had held a mirror up at that angle for me for quite some time, obviously.

The book of James talks about looking intently into the mirror of God’s Word and then acting in response to what we see. Oftentimes when I spend time in God’s Word on my own I am only able to see the angle that is in front of me, the one most obvious to me. I need someone to hold the mirror up for me so I can see some of the less obvious angles, ones I tend to avoid. Studying God’s Word in community gives us the opportunity to have the mirror held at alternate angles to get the full picture of our spiritual condition and blind spots.

Women’s Ministry at GFC is offering several great “mirror” opportunities through Bible study and book study groups this Fall. In an atmosphere of encouragement and authenticity, we can grow together to become like Christ and be used by Christ.

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.  For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” James 1:22-25 (ESV)

Cheryl Bowers, Women’s Ministry Coordinator