Some old Disney movies contain surprising lessons. One in particular comes to mind. The evil queen in Snow White exhibited an overbearing personality that belied her lack of self-confidence. Maleficent depended on a magic mirror to stroke her ego, requiring perpetual updates to support her sense of self-importance.
Each morning she approached the looking glass to verify her ranking among the beauties in the kingdom, and the mirror praised her as the fairest.
But one day the framed phantom changed its tune. After giving a nod to her royal eye-appeal, it stated the facts forthrightly: Snow White now ranked as fairest.
The queen went berserk! First enlisting a huntsman to kill Snow White, then (when he failed) disguising herself to personally offer Snow White a poison apple, the evil queen’s lust for supremacy consumed her thoughts.
Twisted reasoning convinced the queen that her beauty equalled her value. Her self-esteem hung from the slim thread of how she compared to every other woman in the kingdom.
Many of us fall into that same comparison trap.
If that’s true for you, what is your mirror? What must you achieve to feel okay about yourself? Is life just an endless contest based on beauty, popularity, wealth, knowledge or accomplishments? The world’s system values those qualities above all others. But as Jesus pointed out in John 17:16, as Christians, we are no longer of this world. We’re in His kingdom now!
And as believers we have a mirror more accurate than that queen’s. It’s God’s Word! Paul was especially good at giving us an accurate reflection of ourselves. This onetime persecutor and murderer of Christians spent much of the rest of his life telling believers what was right with them in Christ and encouraging them to live out that righteousness.
Look into the mirror Paul holds up and see who you really are:
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Colossians 1:13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.
When we gaze into this accurate mirror we discover how God sees us: forgiven, righteous, and free citizens of His heavenly kingdom. And because God’s Word never changes, neither does His opinion of us.
Instead of depending on external validation like the miserable Disney queen, we can walk through life confident in our new creation identity, knowing that God’s opinion of us is the only one that truly matters.
Great reflections, Carrie (pun intended!)