There are a lot of people who talk about heaven. We are reminded of heaven as we hear of people who have died and gone to be with Jesus. At the end of the day, we don’t know much. But there will not be any mirrors in heaven.
What are mirrors? They give us a reflection of ourselves. It’s how we evaluate ourselves. And the world is full of mirrors that it offers – telling us whether we’re smart enough, tall enough, nice enough, rich enough, beautiful enough, etc. Like the Queen in the story of Snow White, we all have our Magic Mirrors that evaluate us: Are we the most beautiful? Or most successful?
And we even carry these mirrors in our spirituality. We have self-help books to help us. And if we’re really doctrinally serious, even the Bible can become a book of quotes to sustain us. Whatever it is, we keep seeking to become a better version of ourselves. And we’re thrilled when we are more gracious and kind than we used to be.
But there’s a problem with constantly gazing in the mirror trying to better ourselves. The problem is that we ultimately keep looking at OURSELVES! We’re constantly trying to get OURSELVES better – more likeable and loveable to ourselves, to our friends, and even to God.
2 Corinthians 4:6 – For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. The full glory of God is in the face of Christ. It is in the face of Christ that we discover our identity, our purpose, and our mission.
The god of this world wants to blind us from the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3). Satan will happily redirect our gaze on anything, including good works and better behavior, as long as we don’t see the face of Christ. That is where God’s glory rests. We are deceived when ANYTHING distracts us from a simple and pure devotion to Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:3)! Eve did not fall for some big sin. Instead, Satan held up the mirror and showed her a better version of herself if she ate from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil! And the devil has not changed his playbook one bit today: He has countless mirrors to distract us from fixing our eyes on Jesus.
Every day, we have a choice: Fix our eyes on the face of Christ and adore Him as our Example and Hero. Or whip out our mirrors, look at our own faces, and try to better ourselves.
One day, sooner than we think, we’re going to stand before God. And in heaven, there will be no mirrors. We won’t spend one second whipping out mirrors to admire our beauty or our spirituality! We’ll be enraptured by one thing and one thing only – His face. It’s going to be ALL ABOUT HIM who died for us. It’s going to be ALL ABOUT HIM and His glory and His majesty! For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face – with Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 13:12).
This is the secret to a joyful life: Set aside all my mirrors and always set Him before me (Psalm 16:8-9).