"Why Nots", What Ifs", and Other Musings

Smash the Mirror and Wash the Window

By Wayne Harmon

Religion calls out, “Come to me, and I will show you God!”

Desiring God, I go to religion and say, “Great! Show me God.”

Religion pulls aside a curtain and says, “I’ll be happy to show you God. Look here.”

There, where I expected to see a window, I see a mirror.

I look into that mirror and see myself with all my flaws and failures. I see my sins. I see my weaknesses. Religion turns on the light like a make-up mirror and points out things I didn’t even know were wrong. Religion doesn’t make me feel better. It makes me feel worse.

Religion taunts, “Do you realize what a filthy wretch you are? Yet Jesus loved you while you were still so disgusting and died for you.” Then religion says that I can improve the image in the mirror by praying just a little bit longer each day, by reading just one more chapter of the Bible each morning, by attending church more regularly, and by giving just a little bit more in the offering. Just a little bit more, and I can like what I see in the mirror.

I’m certainly not worth anything. The mirror says so, and everyone knows, “Mirrors don’t lie,” but God is a God of mercy, and He will accept me, if He has to. After all, Jesus did die for me, so He just has to work with what I am, flawed human flesh.

But wait! What’s this hammer hanging on a cord beside the mirror? Well, look at that! The handle reads, “Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,” (Philippians 3:13b NLT)

I pick up the hammer. Engraved on the head of the hammer are the words “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32 NLT)

I take the hammer and smash the mirror, shattering it into dust. Behind the mirror is a window. On the other side of that window is a tearful, yet smiling Jesus looking back at me. At last, with Religion’s mirror out of the way, I can see God!

The window is really dirty. It’s been hidden away for a long time. Looking down I see a bucket of water and a sponge. Written on the bucket is “The Word of God”. I take the sponge and begin to clean. The cleaner the window becomes, the less of me I see, and the more I see of Jesus.

I no longer see my flaws and failures; my sins and weaknesses. I see only Jesus. The cleaner the window becomes, the clearer I see Him.

Then I have a revelation that blows away the dust left behind by the shattered mirror. Jesus is looking at me through the same window, but that window is covered with His Blood. He sees me through His Blood, the Blood He shed as He cried out on the Cross, “It is finished!!”

He looks at me and doesn’t see my flaws and failures. It is finished! He doesn’t see my sins and weaknesses. It is finished! He sees me, whole and holy, made perfect through His Blood.

I’m still cleaning that window.

Sometimes I get distracted by a smudge that reflects something of me.

But praise God that damned mirror is gone!