She Sees Through a Glass Darkly, For Now

I love 1 Corinthians 13:12: "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (So much of the Bible is pure poetry.)

In his letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul explains that, in this life, we see things as though through a muddied piece of glass. Images are distorted, colors muted, and the brilliance of our surroundings dulled by the transgressions of a fallen world. In heaven, however, those who accept Christ and His gift of salvation will truly see - and be seen by Him; truly know - and be known by Him.

 

Some Bible versions use the word "mirror" instead of "glass," and so I was reminded of the verse several days ago when my 14 year-old daughter hopped into the car. She immediately flipped up the passenger seat's visor to look into the mirror. "Mom!" she exclaimed, "My complexion didn't look like this in the bathroom mirror! It looked a lot better! What gives?"

Being in the throes of adolescence and just beginning to understand that a skin care routine really is as important as her mother has told her, she was understandably confused by the "tricks" the mirrors seemed to be playing on her. I explained that no woman can trust any mirror unless the lighting is good and her self-confidence is strong. And then I gave her words of cold comfort: "You won't have to deal with teenage skin forever. This too shall pass." 

That short conversation reminded me that our true beauty can't be found in reflections - no matter what kind of mirror we have on hand. It won't be truly appreciated for the God-given gift that it is until Christ comes to redeem us or we see Him in heaven. For now, we see ourselves and others through the lens of a fallen world, and must take comfort in the fact that our inner beauty - hopefully our love for the Holy Spirit - will help our outer beauty shine a bit brighter.

As Paul also writes to the Corinthians, "By the grace of God, I am what I am ..." (1 Corinthians 15:10). Let us take comfort in the fact that God has made us in His own image, and be reminded that, "Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." (Proverbs 13:30)