Look in the Mirror

There is a lot of money and effort being utilized to design and manufacture designer clothing.   Clothing makes a fashion statement.  But even more than that, the clothes we wear make a statement about who we are and how we feel about ourselves. Like clothes, the words we say also make a statement.  The words we say, and how we say them makes a statement beyond just the words we use. We should be as meticulous about what we say and don’t say as we are about what we wear. 

When our clothes get stained it’s good to wash them.  When our clothes get torn we ought to mend them or replace them.  When they are wrinkled we ought to iron them. When they are so faded and worn out we often discard, consign, or donate them. 

 Just as we take care of our clothes, we should care for and care about the words we use and the things we say in our texts and tweets and emails and phone calls and other messages we send and receive.  Again the words we use should be as carefully chosen and cared for as the clothes we wear.

Sometimes our carelessness with what we say is a reflection of innocent mistakes or clumsiness on our part.  But, more often than not, our carelessness often reflects something deeper.  When we handle something with dignity and respect, it is reflected in our positive thoughts, actions, and behavior. When we cherish and care for something we usually handle it with care and we take care of it. When we are careless, however, we reflect a level of apathy and indifference; we suggest to the world that what we wear or what we say to other people doesn’t really matter.  Or even worse, perhaps the apathy and carelessness is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves.  If we lack self-respect it is often reflected in our appearance, our attitude, and the words we use.

Communication, like good manners, matters.  We can build and strengthen relationships or we can tear down and destroy relationships if we don’t watch what words we use.

But we can take it to extremes. Sometimes we put too much emphasis on the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, and the mansions we live in.  These are all material things and sometimes we get caught up believing that material things will make a better statement about us.   Materialism is the language of the world.  Too often people hear the language of money instead of hearing the language of the Spirit.  Too often people “set their hearts on the things of the world and aspire to the honors of men”.  Too often people believe that material things will bring them approval, acceptance, fame and attention, and with that fame and approval they will find happiness.

But all material things will come to an end.  Plus, you can’t take material things with you to the next life. But you will take the level of intelligence you have attained to with you.  This will include your character and your emotional intelligence.  If you have squandered the opportunities to develop your character, your talents and other God given attributes, while in mortality, what you will take with you will be reflected in the kind of person you have become.   Those who have obtained a higher level of intelligence in this life will have greater blessings in the next.

Human interaction requires skills and talents.  To relate with others we need to develop the tools necessary to do so.  Like a child that needs to learn to think and to speak in order to function and communicate in society, we all need to continually develop skills of relating and communicating. 

This is clearly obvious in the ever increasing divorce rate.  How we relate to one another, especially husband and wife, requires more skill and attention than we have ever expended before.  Relating isn’t easy but eternal relationships can and do exist, and we can begin to forge an eternal relationship when we invest in ourselves and our ability to communicate with our eternal companions.

Money is at the root of so many dead end marriages because the hearts of those involved often turned to money instead of God or each other to work out the difficulties in a marriage.  Money then becomes part of the problem instead of part of the solution.

There is one priceless commodity that could replace money or material things as the central focus in our marriage and in our lives.  If we replace this one priceless commodity, so much more mending and healing would take place .  That priceless commodity is charity.

Our self-worth is strengthened by our knowledge of our divine heritage and our eternal potential. When we realize we are children of Almighty God, and we have the power to possess divine attributes, we realize we have the power and potential to do great things in this life and become like God in the next.

It is not blasphemy to say that as God is man may become. God knows that it is impossible to achieve divinity in a fallen world. It is fallen man that sneers at the prospect because they know nothing of that God who created them.

It is only though exaltation that man achieves godliness. The power to obtain godhood is held by God and granted by God. What we can obtain and must obtain in this life is a perfect brightness of hope. And that perfect brightness of hope is within reach.

We can hope with all our hearts to become like our Father. It is a sublime act of worship to love Him with all our hearts and want to be like Him.

Developing the divinity within us requires discovering its divine source. This in turn helps us to discover God. The knowledge of God is so important and so crucial that none will dwell with Him that didn’t first know Him. Have the faith to find Him and by your faith and best efforts you will come to know God.

“Didn’t I tell you this is life eternal?”   John 17:3

Self-esteem and confidence build trust. Self-esteem and confidence build greater trust in self, in others, and in God.  Those who are skeptical, critical, and suspicious lack trust and usually lack confidence and self-worth . Those who are suspicious and skeptical and critical usually lack charity as well. They are often negative and bitter and full of prejudice. And prejudice is most often the fruit of low self-esteem and low self-worth.

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, how do we feel when we look at ourselves in the mirror? We should pray with all the energy of heart for the pure love of Christ so we can have charity, especially towards ourselves. Understanding this also sheds new light on the truth “even as you have done it unto the least of these ye have done it unto me”.  You are a child of God!  ~Love who you are and love God with all your heart.

There is quiet confidence that is born of meekness and humility not arrogance and pride. Arrogance and pride often resonate from an emptiness of character and are usually an overcompensation for, not a manifestation of, self-worth. Those who are meek and lowly are content that the process of becoming Christ like will require patience, a steadiness and strength of character, and a willingness to forgo the praises of the world for a happy rest that only God can grant. Meekness is rich in capabilities as well as possibilities. It is at the very center of a Christ centered soul.

There is a deeply significant truth about sharing I would like to share with you. Sharing isn’t about giving away everything; it’s about liking something so much that you keep a portion of it and liking someone else so much you are willing to share a precious portion of it with them.

Selfishness, on the other hand, just keeps all of it to oneself. But the opposite is also true: those who surrender everything seldom respect themselves and what they have to offer. Sacrifice is genuine when that portion of what is being sacrificed is being offered at a high cost, not something being taken to the dump or easily discarded.

Therefore the second great commandment is deeply profound because it includes a balance.

            It can be likened to a kind of perfect intonation. A pitch can be sharp or flat without an equalizing effect. A pitch too sharp could be likened unto too much self-love and selfishness. A pitch too flat could be likened unto too much focus on others for approval and validation.  But perfect pitch with regards to loving ones neighbor as oneself is a perfect amount of treasuring who you are and what you have balanced with sharing with someone else, whom you respect and treasure, a portion of yourself.