Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall
by Susan Brantley
What is vanity? I think it’s the way we look at ourselves and the way we look at others. That’s not Webster’s definition—that’s just mine. Vanity in today’s world includes clothing. You must dress for success, otherwise you will not be successful. You must wear Stella McCartney, Jessica Simpson, and Armani suits. And you must, of course, carry a designer purse, designed by Louis Vuitton, Jessica Simpson, Kate Spade, Tommy Hilfiger, or Michael Kors, just to name a few. You see, without these clothes, shoes, and purses, you cannot be successful, says the world. You will be judged by what you wear and the way you wear it.
Now I ask you, is it a sin to look nice? Is it a sin to accessorize? Of course not. Men and women do it all the time. We do it in our everyday lives. I get up from my bed and go to my closet to see what I’m going to wear for that day—even if I’m staying at home. Let’s see, I’ll wear jeans and a sweatshirt. What color tennis shoes will I be wearing—black, multi-colored, or white? Will I wear boots today with my sweatshirt? If it’s raining, I will need a sweatshirt with a hood if I happen to go to the grocery store. Will I fix my hair, or just pull if back with a barrette? I’ll put on a dab of make-up just to look presentable in case I happen to see someone I know. And then if I decide to go somewhere like church, or out to lunch or dinner, then I go a little bit further. I go to my closet and look at the dresses and think about where I wore them. I can’t wear the same ones again this week—what will people think? I’ll wear a dress I haven’t worn in at least a couple of weeks and wear my boots with it. I think I will wear jewelry: earrings and bracelets. I don’t want too much. My make-up has to be right for the dress, and my hair needs to be fixed. So, on those rare occasions when perhaps I’m not feeling well, I probably don’t care as much about the way I look. I wear pajamas and have my hair pulled up on top of my head kind of like Pebbles Flintstone, and I wear house shoes with socks. But then again, if you’re sick, you have an excuse.
But vanity of this sort is not the kind to talk about. I’m going to talk about this: do we want to stand out in a crowd? Do we want to really be noticed by everyone? I think the answer to that question is, no, we really do not want to stand out. We want to blend in. We want to be just like everyone else for the most part. What if you can’t do that? What if you HAVE to stand out in a crowd—what then? What if you’re one in a million who is going to stand out in that crowd and be noticed no matter whether you want to be or not?
In our lives, God is in control. Our lives are not left to chance. Our lives are planned before we are even born. God knows what’s going to happen to us, but we have free choice in how we live our lives. He knows our sicknesses and how we’ll deal with them. Will we be strong? Would we be strong like Jesus when He was tempted, and will we be able to say, “Get Thee behind me, Satan,” or will we give in like everyone else?
When I found out about my macular degeneration I prayed and prayed for a miracle, even though I knew that the age of miracles was over. But I also knew God could do anything. I remember my mother used to sing a song that said God can do anything but fail, and I believe that. So, I asked Him for something that could get me through each and every solitary day so that I could be the person that I knew I was meant to be, and so that I could be strong. There were times when I wanted to just throw my hands up and say I could not do it anymore, but then, what good would that do me? What good would that do for someone else who needed me? It would be like saying that Satan had won because I quit and it’s over. I was about to do that when I received a blessing in the form of the IRIS. For those of you who have seen me wear the IRIS, you know it looks like a virtual reality game mask or headset. Though this is not a pair of designer glasses, it’s not even built to look pretty. In fact, you can hardly see my face at all when I wear it, and you certainly can’t see my eyes. But that’s okay, because you see, I’ve never seen clearer or better than when I wear the IRIS.
Do you see me wear the IRIS? No! That’s where my vanity comes in. I want to look like everyone else, but I wasn’t meant to be like everyone else. I’m the one that is not going to look like everyone else. I’m the one person who discussed standing out in a crowd because of my destiny. Yes, people stare. Yes, people will probably whisper behind my back. And yes, people will probably come up to me and ask me what it is. It’s okay. I was meant to tell you about it, and I was meant to show it to you. I was meant to tell you that this is what I got when my prayer was answered. I got this from God. God gave it to me, so why should I be ashamed to wear it? All of God’s gifts are good. There are other people out there, like me, who don’t want to wear their devices because of their own specific reasons. But if you pray for it and ask God for it, please don’t take His gift and say it’s not good enough. It’s perfect.
So, tell me what you see when you look into your mirror. I see a woman, a grandmother, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. I’m the same inside as you. I like stupid jokes, and I do stupid things. I make stupid mistakes, too. But I’ve been married for almost 40 years, and I am so grateful for my husband, my children, and my grandchildren who have never been ashamed of me, I am proud to say, and who love me for who I am. Life is too short. When you have a perfectly good device that will help you see, it’s better—and I want to see you. So, yes, I will stand out in a crowd and be proud. Take a good look in the mirror. Don’t look just at the outside—look on the inside as well. Is your heart kind and loving, and an encouragement to others? Let’s all work together to be the kind of Christian person that we need to be so when we look into the mirror, we will like what we see.