MIRROR MANAGEMENT
Key Statement: if you don’t keep your mirror clean, the mirror cannot do its job to tell you the truth about yourself.
When you look deeply into your mirror you will be looking at enemy number one.
The enemy is the face in the mirror.
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- The face in the mirror is your toughest critic.
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- The face in the mirror is the one who knows you better than anyone.
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- The face in the mirror is the face that sees its world for good or bad.
- The face in the mirror is the only person on Earth you can change.
Goethe the famous Austrian said, “The only person you can change is yourself and as you change, others tend to change in reaction to you.”
Mirror management starts with cleaning the glass so that you can see your face clearly.
Mirror management involves respecting what the mirror tells you. The mirror does not lie; it only reflects the reality of your face.
Your management goes far deeper than an external examination of the face. The face is the window to the heart, to the soul. A kind face, kind heart; happy face, happy heart; mean eyes; mean heart, etc.
St. Ignatius called mirror management The Examen. This brilliant spiritual giant used his military training to develop the Ignatian Spirituality known today as the Jesuits.
As soldiers in battle, weapon inspection is a daily task; often multiple times. The Examen is the fruit of Enre Ignatius’s military training.
Twice a day his followers examine their thoughts, words, actions, and habits. This is mirror management. Recognize both failures and successes of the day. Make new resolves.
God speaks to us through his Word. We don’t have to guess what the Lord Jesus Christ wants to say to us. He has told us Jesus is our own personal mirror. Know Him and we will look more like Him as we see our faces in the mirror.
Mirror management, like brushing teeth, is a multi-day operation.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:12-17
