Blessed Mirror(s)

The words “Blessing” and “Blessed” are self-explanatory even for the casual Christian or those that are virtually without faith. To be Blessed means to be favored by God. There are multiple definitions according to the esteemed Merriam-Webster dictionary. It goes on to full definitions that include “being held in reverence; honored and worshipped” and even “good fortune.” The latter is a definition by too many that crosses the line of the meaning of being Blessed. Good fortune without a commitment to give back is not a Blessing to me. The word “Blessing” is more accurately defined for me by Webster, including “an approval that allows or helps you do something, help and approval from God and something that helps you or brings happiness. Precisely. A Blessing, or being Blessed, denotes guidance, direction, help and approval from God.” I would replace “and” in “from God and something that helps you or brings happiness” to “from God that helps you bring happiness or good works to others and yourself.”

“Mirrors” can take on many meanings. When we are lost – whether we know it or not – in that we do not have the true faith expected by the Lord, we look at the literal mirror in a different light. When troubled, we may have a tendency to look more in the mirror to try to look within or maybe even ask the Lord, “Why me?” as I did years back. The mirror can be kind or unkind when you look at yourself openly and honestly.

As a young adult studying Psychology, I came to understand that we must look deeply with an analytical mind to improve ourselves and be better to others and ourselves. I still believe that, but I now have the added the understanding that the Lord’s guidance, grace and destinies for us are ingrained in that internal transparency.

Included in our marriage vows is the commitment“for better or worse.” To make such a commitment under God, we must be open and communicative with our wife or husband. All relationships of even minor importance should have similar open, transparent communication. Therefore, it is my belief that in all relationships, particularly those that are centered on those pursuits, it also means that we must communicate transparently for better or worse.

Honesty means not just telling the truth in what you express when asked, but also not limiting your expression when not asked. If we hold back in expression with others versus expressing openly as a person of faith, we are not being forthright or completely honest. Transparency is honesty and is part of what it means to live a Blessed life.

Being honest with ourselves may not be easy. From the extremes of those with low self-esteem to the egotistical, people tend to be misplaced in their view of themselves. Of course, even with good intent, we may not be honest with ourselves, and therefore we can be unintentionally lacking honesty in others.

As a writer that has often been committed to writing more so after 9/11, my evolution as a person and eventually the born again Christian I became is evidenced in the chronology of my writing and particularly the topics I chose. As an example, my sense of humor expressed years ago more in my writing was, and sometimes is, edgy for a Christian, inspired by comedians including George Carlin. I wrote much about my Mom as she became sick and passed in 2003, about relationships after I fell in love, as well as about family, behavior, psychology, sports and just random stories. But, so many of those topics do not seem worthy of expression or sharing anymore. In looking back, there is not very much I wrote that I would consider worthy of the person I have hopefully become.

Blessed Mirror(s) is the title of a book in process I expect to finish for New Year 2018 as I live and experience a life of discipleship further as a Christian that has the Lord in his heart. In my work, time will allow me to further an interchangeable business plan and mission to give back further in His name. The mirror reflects the comfort in me to change, evolve and improve as a human being, namely one who understands the principles of the Bible and acts on them in daily life.

The inference in mirrors is also short for a saying that things are being done “with smoke and mirrors.” To me, that means being highly leveraged and in managing my time despite physical and geographic limitations. It also means money managed tightly on projects, which is often doable as landowners to professionals recognize the confidence in my open expressions of faith to work with my company toward a worthy goal. This includes my company’s commitment to tithe 30% from projects, with a local commitment and to my home church and programs they run for justice and mercy.

Committed Christians that invoke the vow of “for better or worse” in everyday interactions with other committed Christians can benefit many in accomplishing amazing things in the name of the Lord. In reflections, the mirror becomes welcoming as a result.

November 4, 2015 and December 24, 2015