It's occurred to me over the years of my time here (did I mention this was my 50th year on the waters of Cognashene?) that one of the reasons I can be so much more content here is that the cottage has a serious lack of mirrors.
There's this one, which obviously doesn't function as a mirror much any more, but we keep it because it's attached to a small antique medicine cabinet and hangs above the sink in my room.
And we think it's kinda cool.
I do blow dry my hair with it, but mostly I'm just getting the basic shape of things and none of the fine details about which I'm more prone to be critical.
There's another old mirror attached to an antique vanity, but it's meant to be used when seated. Sometimes I use that to try to get a sense for how my whole outfit might be coming together. Sorta works. But even then, that's only for Sunday mornings or perhaps when we're going into town.
One other standing-height, head-and-shoulders mirror in the bathroom is a newer one. But we actually have no full length mirrors in the place at all.
And I'm thinking there might be a correlation between my overall sense of contentment while here and the lesser need to be looking at myself in the mirror.
Don't get me wrong. I'm all into proper hygiene and a tidy appearance. But the older I get the less I care about all the insidious pressures that are laid upon us in the name of consumerism and vanity.
Beauty is what shines from the eyes, the window of the soul. Being gorgeous has nothing to do with skin and body mass and facial proportions, and everything to do with grace and kindness and selflessness.
In absence of what distracts me and pulls me toward the mirrors of distortion, I am more relaxed and able to see what's reflecting back to me in the mirror of God.
I love Zephaniah for this.
Describing the end game God's got in mind, he talks about a God who actually takes 'great delight' in me, and 'rejoices over me with singing' (3:17). Are you kidding me? That's a very different picture than what any beauty standard is reflecting back to me.
Later in the same chapter there's the promise to "give you honour and praise among all the people's of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes." (3:20)
I like looking at that.
Of course self reflection includes times of confession and correction, don't get me wrong. But even then, I find God's mirror to be so much more accurate and life-giving than anything else I've ever looked into.
So if you happen to drop in on me these days, and you find me all cottage scruffy, oh well. No offense intended. I'm just practicing a fast from the pressures of appearance, and focusing on how God sees me instead.
Hope you can get a good long look at the real you too.
Especially those parts that are absolutely gorgeous!!!!
Happy - beautiful - Monday!
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