Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall

Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

James 1:22-25

The German fairy tale “Snow White” features a magic mirror. In the story, the queen gives birth to a baby girl, Snow White. The queen dies, and the king marries again a year later. The new queen is vain and daily asks her mirror, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?” The mirror always answers that the new queen is the most beautiful in the land—until one day when the mirror informs the queen, “My queen, you may be the fairest here, but Snow White is a thousand times more fair.” The queen doesn’t like this answer. But she knows the mirror can’t lie, so she decides to get rid of Snow White. If you are familiar with the story, you know the queen doesn’t succeed, but she certainly tries.

The apostle James talked about a mirror in the Bible book that shares his name. He said that when people read God’s Word but don’t obey it, it’s like looking at themselves in a mirror, leaving, and forgetting what they really look like.

Suppose you read some verses that talk about putting others first. Later you see that your mom is trying to cook dinner, take care of your younger brother, and set the table all at the same time. You know from your Bible reading that you should put her first by helping her with her needs, but you really want to relax and watch television. You tell yourself you deserve a break because school was really tough. Besides, you figure your mom is used to doing all the work. You fail to obey what you know God wants you to do. James said that’s the same as looking into the mirror and then going away and forgetting what you look like.

God’s Word has lots of instructions for his princesses, and it’s important not only to read those but also to ask God to help you obey them even when it’s difficult.

Write today’s verses on a card, and put it in your Bible. Use it as a reminder to not only read but also obey God’s Word.