The primary illustration I used to explain being transformed by Jesus is that of a mirror. It goes like this: when we look toward God, we see ourselves appropriately reflected in his words. This reflection may at first show us significant flaws. From a distance, we understand that our hair needs cut, and clothes cleaned. Once we fix those things, we move closer to the mirror and notice more problems. Generally, we fix the more major concerns first, and the lesser ones follow. At first glance, everything may look just fine, but a long look reveals more places of improvement.

The mirror serves as an illustration of Christian sanctification, or the work of transformation in the life of a believer. At first, we work on the big problems in our lives and continually work at improving everything, even the minor details. That is why when you hear a believer talking about struggling with things like pride and humility, you think, those are so minor. They might be to you, but to them, it is a glaring issue that must be addressed.

Following Jesus involves worshipping him, proclaiming his grace and living in light of his eternal promise. It also requires self-examination. We must look carefully at his word and then look deeply at ourselves. Then we address any issues that keep us from looking like Jesus.

The three temptations that we each face. First, is to never look into the mirror. If we do not look, then we will never see anything to change. Second, is to look too quickly and never see anything wrong. We never notice the little areas that need our attention. Finally, we look to see ourselves and then look away and ignore any problems. At least we are not as bad as some people.

Just as I start each day by looking in my bathroom mirror to make sure I am presentable to the world, I must also look into the word of God to make sure I am pleasing to him.