Ponder…Reflection

(Photo by Joy Bellingham)

What do you see when in a mirror you do look?

Or When upon the ripples of a lake you gaze?

Do you see the mistakes?

Do you look blurred and out of shape?

Maybe you see the age upon ones face!

What if you looked deeper

Gazed a little harder

Do you see the bruises from life’s battles.

All the stuff that left you feeling rattled?

Or do you see He

He who is love

He who breathes life into our souls!

Makes us feel whole.

What if you looked deeper

Gazed a little harder

Does the blurriness begin to dissipate,

Highlighting the beauty of His face?

Bruises becoming smaller

As upon His goodness we hover.

Reminded of His glorious ways!

How He guides all our days.

What if you looked deeper

Gazed a little harder

Maybe we would see who He’s called us to be!

A beacon of light in this place.

Someone who stands in those life pains,

Allowing Him to use them for His gain!

So more would come to know the wholeness in He who died for them.

Reflection

What do you see when in the mirror you do look?

Or when upon the ripples of a lake you gaze?

I have a four year old son who loves looking closely at anything that lights up or moves, the other night he sat before his bubble light with his face squished up to it so he could get a different perspective. Then using his colour lens toys he looked at his bubble light through the red lens, which made him pull a funny face. We don’t know what he found intriguing about looking at his light through the red lens (because he is nonverbal) but he got much joy out of it, which was beautiful to watch.

It got me thinking about the above poem which I wrote a few months back, based on a photo sent to me by a friend.

My son saw much beauty in his light; then in the image above, I couldn’t help but be captured by it’s beauty. When I looked closer I noticed more; more beauty but also more depth.

I saw how the reflection of the sky was distorted, out of shape, a little blurry and darker than the sky itself.

I saw how the light from the sun radiates brightly off the surface of the ripple filled lake.

And how the branches of the tree, not only stretched into the sky seeking more of the sun, but also stretched down to the water; another source of nourishment that helps it grow.

Looking at the image made so many emotions run through my mind; calmness, joy, hope, despair, worry and so much more. All in one go, rather overwhelming.

I felt like I was sat upon the Pepsi Max ride in Blackpool Pleasure Beech, not looking at what is a serene image of a lake.

When I look in the mirror I see a distorted image; the aging process, the bruises I carry and the mistakes I’ve made. I see the words other’s have spoken over me such as beauty, kindness and strength but also the hurtful words that have been ingrained in my mind like, ugly, useless and weak.

I suppose I see a bit of who Jesus says I am but I see a lot of the negative things that life has thrown my way too.

I got a little deeper in my thoughts as upon my face I did look.

Remembering a prayer I’d felt led to pen years ago,

‘Lord, my pain be your gain.’

As I whispered those words whilst looking in the mirror the bluriness began to clear and an image of a tree appeared; a tree planted by a body of water, roots reaching deeper, branches reaching far, high and wide, gorgeous vibrant green leaves dancing in the breeze and then this beautiful warm glowing light flooded over the tree.

I want to reflect Jesus into this world; His love, His kindness, His acceptance, His goodness and so much more. But sometimes I worry that someone like me can’t shine bright for the King; radiating who He is and bringing glory to Him.

When I find myself in that place Jesus always reminds me, via an image or poem, what He can do with the life battles we have endured. Using them to teach us about who He is and using our stories to build an understanding in our hearts of what others have been through. Seeing how they may be feeling and how from our own experience we can shine a beacon of hope into the hearts of others.

I’m learning to stand in those life pains and to allow Him to use them for His gain in order that more would come to know the wholeness we know today.

Look deeper and gaze harder!

Remember I am penned in love and so are you.