Reflections

There comes a time in everyone's life where we look in the mirror and wonder ... Who am I? We grow. We change. We evolve. No human being stays the same. That's the beauty of life. But sometimes it takes us by surprise. (I've had a few of these moments lately.)

Mirrors aren't the only places we see reflections of ourselves. We can be seen in our clothing, our decorations, the books we own, the jewelry we wear. But even more so, we can be seen in the things we do and the causes we choose to invest ourselves in.

By their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:20) How simple that is. Every action, every word, every deed. Everything we do reflects on who we are. But of course, we make mistakes - because we're human. It would be terrible to be known for every single thing we do, wouldn't it? What about the things we wish we could erase? The things we never want to see in our reflection?

This is where the Atonement comes in, and oh, how grateful I am for it. We all go through trials. We all do things we regret. But we don't have to be defined by those things. We can repent. We can move on. We can progress. And our reflection can become what we want it to be.

 I'd like to share a little story about this.

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three which says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." (Malachi 3:3) This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week this woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot--then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.
She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy--when I see my image in it."
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you.
- Author unknown

I've always loved this. God knows we are refined, and that we are His, when He sees His image in us. We are His children, and as we go through great trials, He knows the purposes of them - even when we don't. He lets us have our agency and experiences, and He waits - always watching - until we're ready. He keeps His eyes on us until He sees Himself.

So how do we get to that point? How do we become ready?

We put our faith in Christ, and then (drum roll) ... we act on it. We let Him change us, in His way. It isn't about putting on spiritual makeup and hoping to cover the mistakes in our reflection. It isn't about being so ashamed that we stop looking. It's about allowing Him inside of us, and allowing change.

We members of the LDS church make a covenant when we're baptized to always remember our Savior, and to take His name upon us. We renew that covenant every week by partaking of the sacrament. Taking His name means that we act as His hands, and strive to become more like Him every day. I challenge you all to take on that same goal, and make it a part of your life, until God can see Himself in you. He wants us to be with Him. He loves us. And by serving Him, we're accepting an invitation that's been waiting for eternity. <3

It's worth it.

Bonnie Gwyn