Have you ever looked at yourself in a lighted, magnified mirror? There is no escaping the proof of every flaw, every blemish, every imperfection. As Truvy Jones in Steel Magnolias eloquently stated, “Time marches on and sooner or later you realize it is marchin’ across your face.” The harsh light and magnification make it impossible for flaws to escape, leaving us focusing on the negative.
The good news is God doesn’t look at us under magnification. He sees us through the lens of Jesus Christ. God knows our hearts, minds, doubts, and fears but He refuses to focus on the negative. We are viewed through to best possible light – Jesus Christ, the light of the world! Instead of seeing our imperfections and faults, God looks through a filter of love, forgiveness, and grace and finds us to be radiantly beautiful!
Praise God that He sees us and loves us despite our flaws. How do we adopt that kind of perspective? How do we focus on the positive instead of only seeing the negative? We magnify Him! We can find great comfort in knowing we are not expected to become perfect to be used by a perfect God. He does the work through us. We move and live and breathe in the grace and love He lavishes on us, and we share it with one another. We allow the radiant light of Jesus to shine through our cracks and crevasses, so others see more of Him and less of us. We use those flaws and imperfections for His glory, showing all that God can do with an imperfect person.
Believer, we will never be perfect this side of heaven. But we can decide to magnify God through the good and the bad using all things for His glory!
Be blessed!
Jennifer
“May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation continually say, ‘The Lord be magnified!’” Psalm 40:16