What I see when I look at me

James 1:22-24

     I do not consider myself to be a vain person, but I seldom leave home without catching at least one glance in a mirror.  I might tell you that I don't give a hoot what other people think about me, but that is a blatant lie.  I wish it were true, but when I get up at three a.m. to get ready for work and step in front of the bathroom mirror, I immediately begin processing information that will determine how I ready myself for the day.

     Does my hair need water, mousse, gel, or a hat?

     Are pimple alterations required?

     How is the hair not on top of my head?  Check chin.  Check eyebrows.  Check ears.

     Do my clothes match?  Do they make me look fat?

     Anything in my teeth?

     You get the picture; we all do.  How we look to the people we come in contact with each day matters to us.  Obviously there are varying degrees of concern, but everyone is aware of appearance and willing to make adjustments for the sake of it.  I am not saying that this is a bad thing, only that it is a reality.  And in this day and age of surgery and suction, we are able to go beyond modifying our look, choosing instead to purchase a new one.
      I do not have the resources or the desire to undergo surgery to alter my physical packaging, but I admit that I have been on various diet and exercise regiments over the years.  I have changed hairstyles and wardrobes.  Recently, after my wife commented on the fact that I am "eyebrow challenged," I tried to respond with the application of mascara to the area above my eyes.  My point is not to show how ignorant I am about the use of various makeups, so go ahead and laugh; it is to honestly admit that one comment made me jump on the appearance-changing bandwagon.
     It is perhaps no coincidence that as I am finishing this entry, the Academy Awards are on television.  What I see might be the pinnacle of vanity in our world--it is a massive presentation of people trying to appear fabulous.  They have spent weeks, even months, preparing a physical look for themselves that will leave the greatest impression on the minds of people all over the world.  As a Christian, I would like to scream out against such superficiality.  I would like to say that we ought not to be so shallow and should concern ourselves with what a person is on the inside, but if I were going to do that I would be scolding myself more than anyone else.  I might not look good, but I try to.  And I appreciate others who take the time to put on their best face.  I know that what matters is on the inside, but I think that people who are beautiful on the inside might want to appear beautiful on the outside, too; and I can admit that they should be allowed to.  So, I am not going to scold people who glance in a mirror and say, "How can I look better for the world that will behold me today?"  because it is not right to scold people who are trying to become the most beautiful person that they can be.
     What I am going to do, however, is to suggest that we look in mirrors because we want to see how we look in the eyes of those who are important to us.  When we don't match up,  we will try to make changes.  That is not silly.  It is profound, and it is a sign of love.  And if we are worried about how we look in the eyes of those that matter the most, I am at a loss to explain why people who say they love God never bother looking into a spiritual mirror to see how they look.
     Our lives as Christians involved in a loving relationship with God ought not to concern itself so much with how we are seen by the world, but rather, it should be shaped by the honest reflection of a spiritual mirror where we see the things in our lives that might not be so very attractive in the eyes of God--things that love compels us to change.  If we spend more time looking in a mirror like that, we might be amazed to see how much better we start to look in mirrors made of glass. 

Useless Gifts

      I have never been good at giving gifts.  My major shortcomings in this area are the result of a lack of artistic and creative talent, my limited finances, and fruitless attempts to read other people's minds.

     Most of the people that live in my compartment of the world would be satisfied with the things that I could give if I had just a little more money.  I am not saying that my friends and family are shallow or that they determine the value of a gift based on the cost required to purchase it; I am just admitting that I live among people who have legitimate material needs and wants which, if acquired, would make life less difficult or at least more pleasant.  The meeting of those wants or needs might actually trump a thoughtful gift made with my own hands in their eyes because of the value it would have in their life.  My wife is a great lady, but she would surely appreciate a new four wheel drive vehicle for Christmas more that she would a pot holder made with my love and sweat, and beads purchased at the dollar store.

     There are, however, people in this world who do not need any more material possessions than they currently possess.  They have homes with pools, condos in Hawaii, cars worth more than any house I could ever hope to live in, and more money in their spare change pockets than I could afford to have credited to a gift card at any local restaurant or coffee house.  Recently, my wife and I have added just such a married couple to the list of people who are involved in our lives.

     My wife, Connie, volunteers at a local charity.  While doing a good thing for the community, she has been befriended by a very nice lady who is more than generous with the time she gives to the charity.  She and her husband are also the type of people who have large coffers and are more than liberal in opening them up for the benefit of others.  While being generous benefactors to local charities, they are also huge supporters and fans of one of the major universities in our area.  They not only give to this college with unparalleled liberality, they also cheer on the athletic teams with season tickets that give them possession of seats with better views of some of the plays than the officiating crews have.  And sometimes, when other committments take precedence and a game cannot be attended, these lovely people put my wife and I in those seats.

     Connie and I love sporting events.  We attend them regularly, but when we purchase tickets our best view is usually attained by looking at the big screen scoreboard over the field.  We are not used to seats that allow us to discern facial expressions or to wince at the audio of participants not pleased with certain developments in the game, but this nice lady and her husband who do great things for the community have included us in their gift-giving four times this year.  Because we could never afford such great seats on our own, we are exceedingly grateful with the gifts they give us.  And they are gifts because these people never allow us to even attempt to pay them anything.

     The problem, however, is that we really want to give them something to show our appreciation, but have no idea what that something should be.  Even if I had unlimited amounts of cash, there is nothing that I could purchase for these people that they might need.  If they had truly needed it, it would already have been in their possession.  And the still the generosity continues.  I might feel bad about my inability to match their giving, but our friends don't give it a thought.

     The story that I have told you is true.  People such as these do exist.  Most of us know one or more of them.  We may not all be acquainted with very wealthy generous people, but we do not doubt that they exist.  And we know that if they exist, it is foolhardy for those of us with limited financial resourses to try and return their generosity in a way that will balance the scales.  Such attempts would be fruitless and destructive.

     People like our friends, with giving hearts and resources beyond our imagination, do not expect or even think about matching gifts.  Their kindness is real and does not concern itself with some reciprocal benefit; rather, it is given with the sole concern of benefitting others.

     Such kindness is a picture of God.

     I often marvel at my own desire to give something to God that might somehow balance the scales of giving.  I sometimes tally all of my good works and wonder if it is enough.  Then I try to figure out what more I can do to make God continue to love and bless me.  I forget that God will always love and bless me, even when I am not able to love and bless Him back as I should.  His resources of blessing are unlimited.  Mine are not.

      One day my wife mentioned a local restaurant in the presence of her friend.  The lady said that she liked a certain beer that they made.  My wife took note and has decided to purchase some of that beer as a gift for them.  Not even for a moment does she intend to equalize all of their kindness through financial retribution--the cost will be minimal--but rather, to show appreciation by presenting something thoughtful and personal.  She knows this because she listened to what was said and considered it important enough to take note of.  That is called friendship.

     I am convinced that God is the same.  He does not demand the surrender of our limited resources; he longs instead, for our heart of friendship.