“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” ~ II Timothy 3:16

My pastor is currently doing a series called, “The Art of Marriage.”

When he initially introduced the idea several weeks ago, there was a moment that my widow’s heart contemplated skipping church for the duration of the series.  But then I thought better of it – if nothing else, to be a good example for my little boy (who loves having a chance to go play in the nursery).

The main reason I decided to stick it out, however, isn’t just to be a good example.  It is simply the fact that I still have a lot to learn about marriage.  I only got to be married for four years – and my late husband and I were just arriving that point where we started to feel like we’d gotten the kinks worked out.  The truth is, I would like to be married again, but this time I want to be better at it.

So go to church I do, and listen to sermons about how to be a better spouse.  And what seemed like a very misguidedly bad idea the first week has really shaped into something I know will be beneficial in the long run.  So often with something like marriage, we go into assuming that we’ll figure things out as we go.  But how much better would it be if we all spent some time studying what it is the Bible says about doing it right?  Wouldn’t that be a way to avoid some unnecessary conflicts and give us the building blocks to marriages that display what they are meant to – Christ’s love?

If God is trying to teach you a lesson in your life right now that doesn’t seem to apply, take the time to listen anyway.  He might just be providing you with some great information that you will need in your future.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” ~ James 1:22-25

Like most babies, my little boy loves to look at himself in the mirror.  This has been true since he could hold his head up.  When he was just beginning to push himself up, I bought him a little play mirror that he could look at so he would enjoy tummy time more and his affinity has only grown from there.  Whenever he sees his reflection, he breaks into a wide grin, obviously charmed by the grinning baby looking back at him.

Mirrors are a funny thing.  It’s crazy to me to think about how beholden we are to the mirror.  How often do you leave the house to go to work without looking in one?  I’m going to guess never.  In college, one of the places I lived had a mirror in the bathroom, but it wasn’t over the sink.  Try, if you will, brushing your teeth without looking in a mirror.  Watching yourself brush is so routine that you almost can’t do it without a mirror.

Mirrors have been a part of humanity for almost the entirety of history.  As early as 1 A.D. there were mirrors large enough to reflect the entire body.  The Celts adopted the idea of hand mirrors from the Romans and by the 17^th century, mirrors weren’t just for looking in, they were being used as decorations.  We have always loved to look at ourselves.

Sometimes I wonder why.  We don’t look at ourselves to applaud our beauty.  Most women I know can spend plenty of time in front of the mirror and see nothing but flaws – myself included.  We know what we look like, and yet we continue to clamor for the opportunity to check out our countenance multiple times a day.

I think James knew how much people liked to see their own image, which is why he chose this particular analogy in today’s passage.  No matter how many times I see myself in a mirror every day, I’m never surprised by what I see.  It’s just what I expected to see, because I know what I look like.  The same should be true for how I behave after hearing the Word of God.  I think sometimes I read God’s Word and I know what I should be doing, but choose not to.  And then I act surprised when I find out that I haven’t been doing what I should.  How is it a shock then?  Shouldn’t I be following God’s guidelines, since I have the luxury of many printed Bibles all over my house?

Next time you catch a glimpse of your Bible or a mirror, think about this passage.  Are you living the way God wants you to?  Do you remember what you have read in the same manner that you remember the details of your own face?  Can you truly say you are as familiar with God’s loving face as you are your own?