Object Lesson - What Do You See in the Mirror
Mirrors can be our best friend. They can help us get pizza sauce off our mouth, make sure our hair is in place, and allow us to get a clean shave. For a lot of people, however, mirrors are an arch enemy. They show us the part of ourselves we don’t like to see. They highlight our bald spot, remind us of the weight we have gained, or reveal the zits covering our nose. Quite frankly, a lot of us don’t like the way we look.
Even deeper than our physical appearance, many of us don’t like how we look on the inside. We have scars from past hurts that have never properly healed. We have jealousy and envy because our life didn’t turn out as well as our brothers. We have shame and guilt over the way we treated our parents, the decision we made when were 16 and the angry words we spoke last night. When we reflect on what our hearts really look like, many of us don’t like what we find.
Start with an empty mirror. If you are doing it in small group or with your family, you can give each member of the group a small handheld mirror from the dollar store. If you are doing it from the stage, grab a larger closet style mirror and put it on an easel. Either way, you’ll need a mirror and a wet erase marker (dry erase markers smear too easily for this task).
As you talk about all the things God says we are, write the words on the mirror. For example, write “Child of God” when talking about 1 John 3:1 or “Righteous” when talking about 2 Corinthians 5:21. Remind people that we may not feel like these words are true about us, but our feelings lie. Our identity is determined by God, not our emotions.
The Bible Connection – We Are Who God Says We Are
For those of us who are in Christ, we don’t get to determine who we are because God has already told us exactly who we are. We are His children lavished in His love (1 John 3:1). Even if we are rejected by everyone else, we are accepted by Christ (Romans 15:7). We are saints who have been made holy by God himself (1 Corinthians 1:2). We are righteous, having received the righteousness of God Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The next time you look in the mirror don’t agonize over the skin blemishes, the gray hair, or the wrinkles. Don’t spend time your hours worrying about your shortcomings, your failings, or your shame. You are a child of God. You are loved and accepted. You are holy and righteous because God made you that way. You are not who you think you are; you are who God says you are.
Potential Scriptures
There are a host of scriptures that speak about our identity in Christ. I’ve listed below several of my favorites.
Romans 15:7 – Accepted by the Messiah
Therefore accept one another, just as the Messiah also accepted you, to the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – A New Creation
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.
2 Corinthians 5:21 – Righteousness of God
He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Ephesians 1:4 – Chosen & Blameless
For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love
Philippians 3:20 – Citizen of Heaven
but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 3:1 – Children of God
Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him
