If there is a problem, self is the problem.
A valuable tool in our battle against the enemy is the mirror. Now, you might think a mirror would be part of the problem instead of the solution, like it was for Narcissus. But if we can learn, at the onset of any problem, to look in the mirror and find our contribution before we start accusing others, we will be in a much better place to hear the truth from Jesus. We can begin, then, by taking responsibility for our contribution to the problem, and taking steps to correct or make amends for that contribution. An honest look in the mirror is almost always the best place to start.
The second gain from an honest, open, and searching appraisal in the mirror can be the identification of falsehoods. Remember our discussion of the problem with hiding places? Getting rid of the old self means bringing all things into the light. Hiding things, or keeping things in the dark, gives those things great power. Think back to when you were a child – some of your worst fears were of the unknown and unseen. Did you ever fear the monster in the closet or under the bed? I know many parents who spend a lot of time opening closet doors and checking beneath beds to reassure their children that nothing is there. Notice that these fears disappear in the light of day. It is the darkness (not seeing) that brings the fears to the forefront and gives the “monster” power. Secrets are the “monster under the bed” in our lives and relationships. Those secrets can be overt, such as not telling your spouse about something you have bought or someone you met for lunch; or covert, such as disconnecting emotionally or hiding your wants, needs, thoughts and feelings.
Openness and honesty are crucial; without them, we give power to the enemy who gains ground in us, toward our destruction. Sometimes we justify our hiding as a way to “protect” others. We claim we don’t want to “hurt” his or her feelings, so we keep silent. We might also justify our secrecy as self-protection, but that is only self-serving and, thus, not a part of creating oneness. I have heard many couples claim they just “don’t want to fight” so they keep silent. Avoidance is a tool of the enemy, a way to entice us to stay in our hiding place…a way to keep us in the darkness. If Jesus truly is the truth and the light, and “in Him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5, NIV), we are to “live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8, NIV), and “have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11, NIV). Putting off the old self means living in the light – His light.
A valuable tool in our battle against the enemy is the mirror. Now, you might think a mirror would be part of the problem instead of the solution, like it was for Narcissus. But if we can learn, at the onset of any problem, to look in the mirror and find our contribution before we start accusing others, we will be in a much better place to hear the truth from Jesus. We can begin, then, by taking responsibility for our contribution to the problem, and taking steps to correct or make amends for that contribution. An honest look in the mirror is almost always the best place to start.
The second gain from an honest, open, and searching appraisal in the mirror can be the identification of falsehoods. Remember our discussion of the problem with hiding places? Getting rid of the old self means bringing all things into the light. Hiding things, or keeping things in the dark, gives those things great power. Think back to when you were a child – some of your worst fears were of the unknown and unseen. Did you ever fear the monster in the closet or under the bed? I know many parents who spend a lot of time opening closet doors and checking beneath beds to reassure their children that nothing is there. Notice that these fears disappear in the light of day. It is the darkness (not seeing) that brings the fears to the forefront and gives the “monster” power. Secrets are the “monster under the bed” in our lives and relationships. Those secrets can be overt, such as not telling your spouse about something you have bought or someone you met for lunch; or covert, such as disconnecting emotionally or hiding your wants, needs, thoughts and feelings.
Openness and honesty are crucial; without them, we give power to the enemy who gains ground in us, toward our destruction. Sometimes we justify our hiding as a way to “protect” others. We claim we don’t want to “hurt” his or her feelings, so we keep silent. We might also justify our secrecy as self-protection, but that is only self-serving and, thus, not a part of creating oneness. I have heard many couples claim they just “don’t want to fight” so they keep silent. Avoidance is a tool of the enemy, a way to entice us to stay in our hiding place…a way to keep us in the darkness. If Jesus truly is the truth and the light, and “in Him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5, NIV), we are to “live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8, NIV), and “have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11, NIV). Putting off the old self means living in the light – His light.
