Bright Mirrors and Mysteries

She, my daughter,  mentioned during her devotions this morning that  she was struck by the reality of mirrors – when something is reflected as in a mirror, it is not the mirror that gains the attention, nor that is of any importance at all except insofar as it reflects.  It is that which it reflects which gives the mirror its value, significance.  The analogy was, of course, that as we truly reflect Christ, it is not us that is seen, as the mirror, but Christ.  “He must increase, I must decrease.” 

This week in our lectures Geo. Grant said, “The greatest leaders are those who are obscured from our vision by that which they build.” 

Best of all:

You may be very discontented with yourself. You are no genius, have no brilliant gifts, and are inconspicuous for any special faculty. Mediocrity is the law of your existence. Your days are remarkable for nothing but sameness and insipidity. Yet you may live a great life.

John did no miracle, but Jesus said that among those born of women there had not appeared a greater than he.

John's main business was to bear witness to the Light, and this may be yours and mine. John was content to be only a voice, if men would think of Christ.

Be willing to be only a voice, heard but not seen; a mirror whose surface is lost to view, because it reflects the dazzling glory of the sun; a breeze that springs up just before daylight, and says, "The dawn! the dawn!" and then dies away.

Do the commonest and smallest things as beneath His eye. If you must live with uncongenial people, set to their conquest by love. If you have made a great mistake in your life, do not let it becloud all of it; but, locking the secret in your breast, compel it to yield strength and sweetness.

We are doing more good than we know, sowing seeds, starting streamlets, giving men true thoughts of Christ, to which they will refer one day as the first things that started them thinking of Him; and, of my part, I shall be satisfied if no great mausoleum is raised over my grave, but that simple souls shall gather there when I am gone, and say,

"He was a good man; he wrought no miracles, but he spake words about Christ, which led me to know Him for myself." --George Matheson

And then the mystery - Who is this Christ that we desire to mirror?  He was the one who, in ancient times, the Israelites had created an image of in their minds – a King who would come to conquer Rome and establish a mighty kingdom here.  But He did not.  And we cannot be more than our reflected Christ.
 

“He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows…as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised…” Isaiah 53;  this was the humiliation and the suffering that was required of the Lord when God laid on Him the iniquity of us all. They didn’t applaud His sacrifice for them, they didn’t weep for the love He was showing them; his enemies mocked Him and His friends stood by in benumbed confusion.  No one understood, no one appreciated what He was doing and why.  He was crushed for our iniquities and , because He was, he made untold multitudes of people…to be accounted righteous before God…Did He bear your sins?  Did He suffer for your iniquities?  Are you sure that your sins, your own sins, put some of His stripes there?  When you know that to be true, your sins will be forgiven and you will be clean!” (R. Rayburn,  sermon 4-17-11).

Clean, overwhelmed with gratitude for our sacrificial Christ, --and-- a bright mirror.