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Writer's pictureBrandi Bourne

Reflection


If the weather is nice, we’re probably outside somewhere. Summer is our hibernation time. Starting in late July you’ll find me in the AC because this is Texas where it's humid and insanely hot in the summer. There might be a few weeks of "winter" in late January that keeps us bundled up inside with some hot cocoa. But on a gorgeous day, you're likely to find me outside for at least part of it! I love to sit in the sun and read. I've recently re-kindled a long lost love of reading by being disciplined in spending time doing it. I've gone from a place of being tired every time I read to actually looking forward to time I can open a book! Now finishing a book that's something I am still working on. So on beautiful days when given an opportunity, Lennon gets to go hang out with and make new friends and I get to enjoy the sun and my book. I would encourage you, reader, to take some time outside this week if you can!

(Book - "Wild Ones" by Nate Johnston)

On Sunday evening, I was sitting at a table at our city park. I was soaking up the sun and the cool breeze while reading. Lennon played with some friends at the playground behind me. I started looking out at the pond and taking in the sights, enjoying the beauty. I know that in moments like these the Lord will often speak to me, so I let Him know I was listening. I was prepared with a notebook I carry with me to write down what He chooses to show me. As I was staring at the water, I realize that there is one section of this pond that has ripples that are being created by the cool breeze. On the other side there are two red bridges and underneath these bridges the water is calm. I went to take a picture, and I realized that on one side, you could see the reflection clearly, creating that mirror effect of the bridges. But on the other side was a blurry reflection due to the ripples on the water’s surface. I asked Him, what does this mean?



He showed me how our lives are often like this. You see, we as believers are called to reflect Jesus in our actions, our thoughts, and behaviors. Now let me say here that no one is perfect at this. We all fall short of the glory of God. But this is a "walk" for a reason! But we are called to be reflections of the glory of God. We are called to show the world His light, His incredible love. 1 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT) says:
“So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” We are being transformed into His likeness and image as we draw nearer to Him. But really, we are returning to who He created us to be to begin with. We were created in the image of God. “So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) We are called to be His image bearers to all those who do not know Him yet. Paul says in Ephesians:

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

He also says in Romans:

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30 CSB)

The water that I saw was still, nearly undisturbed yet not stagnant. This is an example of that original condition. I’m not sure why that water was mostly undisturbed when it was all one body of water connected. Perhaps what lies underneath or around that area could answer that. What we carry inside of us can help us to maintain peace and the knowledge of what surrounds us can give us confidence to remain still! Seeing the reflection of those bridges just added to the beauty of the scene. The water on the other side was disturbed but it still bore the reflected image of the trees and a pavilion behind it. But the image was blurred. This is often what happens to us. We are in a state of peace, reflecting His glory and then something disturbs us. The wind comes and causes these “ripples” on our surface that causes the image of God to become blurred.

Have you ever met one of those people who is in the middle of some crazy storm or trial in their life and yet they stay so calm, loving and full of peace? Maybe they lost a loved one or they're facing a health crisis or financially they are struggling and yet they have this unwavering faith and trust in the midst of that. I wish I could say I am one of those people but admittedly, I am not. Not yet anyway. I am a work in progress! But I have met people who carry the peace of God so heavily that I am drawn to them. There's just something noticeably different about them. And that is how we should be to the world around us. We should live a life that causes people to stop and think "I want THAT."

Let’s use a real-life example that I bet the majority of readers will relate to here. Driving. I cannot tell you how many times I am worshiping God in the car just having a whole moment. You know up until recently I didn’t realize that most of the time the music is loud enough to make out the song from the outside of the car. I hope those songs are ministering to others too! Typically, I’m in my own world. I may be on “autopilot” but still very aware of my surroundings. So here I am spending this great time with the Lord and here comes someone who cuts me off. Or they fly around me and almost hit me or just do something plain stupid. Immediately the moment just breaks and now I’m frustrated with this person. My heart is racing and it takes me a minute to get back into worship. Now old me would have gone straight road rage in those moments, so at least I’m moving in the right direction. But this is a moment that I allowed that peace be disturbed by something I have no control over. That beautiful moment with the Lord, the moment that I would have walked out of reflecting His glory has now been stolen and I allowed it. And now I have a choice to either go back into that moment, or carry a negative attitude that will eventually rub off on the people around me.

This is a simple example - life gets a lot more complex. I told the story not too long ago about us almost losing our home (before the sale) when I had lost my job a year ago. I started out ok, my faith was strong and trust in God remained. But after a while, as things progressively piled up, those ripples got to me. I was no longer being the reflection of God that I should have been to those around me. I know people who have gone through some serious loss recently and yet I recognized the peace of God in their lives. But I’m going to say something here that I hope you hear in love – tragedy is not an excuse to treat others poorly. How we treat others when we are suffering will reveal our character. What is the situation in your life right now that has disturbed your peace? What’s the “wind” in your life that has caused a disruption in your everyday life and your reflection of Christ? James is a tough chapter, but a good one. It carries reminders for us that are important, correction that is necessary. I want to share a few verses from that.

“Understand this, my dear brothers, and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So, get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

But 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.

If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (James 1:19-27 NLT)



I think some of us need a divine reset right now. We are a work in progress, and no one is perfect. But maybe we need to take some steps towards being like Jesus in our everyday encounters. Every person you meet gives you an opportunity to share the love of God, whether they know Him or not. You know I’ve made it a point recently to really focus on that. I may not share the entire Gospel message with each person I meet, though I am growing on doing that more with people I don’t know. But what I can do is smile. I can approach them with joy. I can encourage them with simple words. I can tell them they’re doing a wonderful job. There are endless ways that I can reflect the character and love of God in those interactions. Am I going to miss it at times? Absolutely. Am I going to have a difficult day here and there? Yes. But that’s not an excuse to not try. I am a carrier of the glory of God. I am a carrier of His image. And if you are a believer, so are you.

And you know I want to say something to any people who do not believe in Jesus who have made it this far. I am sorry. On behalf of the Christians who have treated you poorly and not shown you the love of the Father, I am sorry. For those who tried to share the truth without love, I apologize. While I ask for grace as we all learn and grow, I recognize the pain that so called “Christians” have caused in the lives of so many people. I only ask that you give us another chance and realize that while we as Christians should reflect the love of Jesus, we do mess that up sometimes. Please don’t let that turn you from who He truly is. Jesus is not like any man on this planet. His love is unconditional. When you accept Him as your savior, He’s not going to leave you or hurt you or anything like that. You’ll still face hard circumstances, tragic life events, all results of living in a sinful world. But you won’t be alone in the struggles and you’ll discover the purpose in the pain. God works ALL things out for good.  I would love to have a conversation with you about this though, so please feel free to send me a message if you’d like.

Christians, we need to do better. All of us, collectively. We have to stop letting things in life disrupt our peace and cause us to blur the image that we carry. We can have a moment but let’s practice getting out of that moment before we step out of the house or the car. We are image bearers of Christ. The world is watching our every move right now. And while there are times that we are judged unfairly, it’s no excuse to return evil for evil. How will we respond to those who treat us poorly? How will we respond to those who mock us and tell lies about us? Will we respond by speaking the truth in love? If social media is any indication of how we're doing collectively on this, I'd say we have a LONG way to go.

We carry the peace of God in us. A peace that surpasses all understanding. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 (CSB): “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.”




Philippians also talks about peace:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:4-9 NIV)

Colossians says:

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body, you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” (Colossians 3:12-17 NLT)




Let’s not just talk to the world about Jesus, let’s show the world Jesus. I realize not everyone out there is ready for that conversation and that’s ok. But we have a responsibility to live a life that causes people to want what we have – the power and presence of God. We have a responsibility to show the world the peace that they too can have should they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Let’s live a life that people actually want instead of one they avoid. Let’s be a clear reflection of our Lord Jesus in all that we do! Let's stop letting the worries of life, the trials, the tests and even the people around us disrupt what we carry.

We can be still and know that He is God. We can put our faith and trust in the one who created the universe and know that He carries us in the palm of His hand. We can stand firm on His Word and on His promises for our lives even when things are shaking. And we can share that knowledge with others. We bear the image of God in us and on us everywhere we go. What an honor that is! Let's set our minds on the things of God, keep our focus on Him and spend time with Him. If we want to be like Him, first we must know Him. We can do that through His Word and through prayer. We can honor Him through praise and worship and making that a lifestyle and not just a moment. We can simply sit quietly in His presence and wait for Him to speak. Did you know He wants to spend time with us? That our heavenly Father loves to hear from us? He wants to hear from and talk to YOU! Spend some time with Him this week, maybe a little extra time if you already do.


What step will you take this week to be a good reflection of Christ?







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