A Look in 3 Mirrors

(*If you would please pause my music, that'd be grand.)

During Institute we were discussing Section 45 and 46 in the Doctrine and Covenants which speaks about Christ acting as our Advocate and how we are all given different gifts. It was brought to my attention to picture yourself looking into 3 different mirrors and I thought I would expound and share my thoughts on the matter as a post.

The first is your typical mirror. You see you as you. When you see yourself you think about what you like and dislike about yourself. You contemplate what you were, what you are now, and what you hope to become. You can even use this mirror to imagine how others think of you, but please don't go there, that is what the adversary wants you to use the mirror for.

The second mirror is how our Heavenly Father sees you. If we could get one tiny glimpse of how He actually sees us, I believe it would make us stagger. (Take a minute and ponder about this if you'd like.) Naturally, as humans, we are much too hard on ourselves. It seems to be that we can never be fully satisfied with what we have accomplished. Why can't we be pleased with what we have done and quite comparing ourselves to one another?

• I like to call this The Ladder of Pride. At the top stands "Mr. Jones" showing off his many talents for everyone to witness. "Oh he is so prideful" "Mr. Smith" thinks, or "Ms. Thomas" ponders, "I wish I could have his talents." Unknowingly, "Mr. Smith" and "Ms. Thomas" have now found themselves standing on the ladder not far below "Mr. Jones." Pride can get us in different ways: either by giving us a "big head" or by comparing ourselves to someone or something else. It may be a hard thing not to do, but we should try and avoid it at all costs.

Heavenly Father doesn't want this for us. He sees us for who we really are. We may not think we are that grand, but I'm sure we are all far more better than we think. Our Father and Savior are the only ones who really know our hearts...and that's why I'm overwhelmed with joy that Jesus Christ will forever be my Advocate. He is standing at my side, pleading my case for me because I'm sure He knows me better than I know myself. Christ is with us (well, He should be; this is your decision to accept Him) during our most glorious moments, when we shine the brightest, and He is there with His hand waiting to lift us up from our most devastating, trial-some stages of our lives. Let us not forget Him and all He has and will do for us and also what He thinks of us rather than what we or others think.

The third mirror is the potential God sees in you. Potential is an amazing thing. It has no limits, but everyone seems to put a cap on it. For instance, I could say, I ran a marathon, so now I'm done. But no, that's not how it works! Because I ran a marathon, that should lead to other events. I have the potential of now loving to run, so I should make my potential in this circumstance even greater. It blows my mind to think of where I am now in my life. Five years ago I wouldn't have thought I had such a great potential in the dealings of life I am now involved in. To picture where I will be in another five years would be a joke. I can think of amazing things I would like to do, but who knows, I could even surpass what I would only begin to dream about doing...and that's the great thing about potential; it's limitless, especially through the eyes of our Father.

Heavenly Father sees us in a different light. It's like the coal turning into a diamond analogy. Who would think that something so unsatisfying to look upon would turn into an object so beautiful it could fixate your attention for an extended period of time. Heavenly Father knows how to apply the right amount of pressure, where to make the cuts, and how to "manipulate" our lives to turn us into a magnificent gleaming treasure that we had no clue we could be. (This Mormon Message also came to mind.) C.S. Lewis says it much better than me:

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.
- C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)

Rather then a palace, I like to think of it as a temple. :)