DAILY READING
REFLECTION
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall
by Judy Webb
"For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens." (1 Chronicles 16:26)
In Hebrew, the word idol (elil) means a thing of naught. So idols or gods, are nothings. A piece of wood, a stone; are man-made archaic images, and lack the least bit of courage, or genuineness. These idols were prominent during biblical times, just as they are today. They have no more power now than then.
How did these imposters become objects of worship? These pretenders were without substance, and yet the people adored and even feared them. One of the first instances of pagan symbols is the golden calf which the Israelites constructed. Why? Fear or boredom maybe. Their leader, Moses, had been up on the mountain for way too long (their opinion) and decided they needed to do something. So, they came up with the idea to create something they could worship, something they could see.
Don’t we do the same? For some of us, our careers have become idols. We worship at the altar of achievement, money, promotions, fame, and self-importance. For others, health and/or physical appearance have overtaken lives. We strive to take part in the next fad or miracle diet to make us look fantastic. It is as though aging is a curse, a punishment for living. We desire to pump up our facial features to eliminate wrinkles. If we consider our blemishes as a badge of honor, a symbol of a life lived well, we may experience body shaming for "letting ourselves go."
How then do we find the True God in all this mess? We seek that which is not constructed by human hands. We look to our Bible to discover the truth which is all we need. The end of Verse 26 points us in that direction. “…but the LORD made the heavens.” As Psalm 95:6-7 teaches:
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
PRAYER
Jesus, Let us not worship ourselves, our things, or our status; but only worship You, The One who Makes all things beautiful. Remind us that beauty is in the beholder's eye, not in the mirror.
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