Be Doers of the Word: Look in the Mirror--James 1:22-25

English: The Big South Fork of the Cumberland River
 in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
 in Scott, Fentress, and Pickett Counties of Tennessee
 and McCreary County, Kentucky, USA.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude them-
selves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

On a beautiful Saturday, three friends and I hiked Big South Fork in Kentucky. The sun shone, the air was dry and crisp. Life--and the scenery--couldn't have been better. It was time for a photo.

I grabbed my phone, held it out over the overlook. Instead of seeing Devil's Jump or the Big South Fork, I saw me. 

English: A natural bridge in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Scott, Fentress, and Pickett Counties of Tennessee and McCreary County, Kentucky, USA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Unaware that the lens had been turned in my direction, my image startled me. My hair stood on ends--unparted and tangled from pulling my hoodie over my head. Mascara had streaked from the wind that caused my eyes to water.

I turned the lens the opposite direction, and took the snapshots. Beauty.

Life captured my attention. I oohed and aahed with my friends. Examined the arches of the rocks, the holly berries, the sweeping panorama and the fungi. We ate a fabulous lunch and continued our hike.

But me? I hadn't changed much. The wind blew my ratted hair, but it didn't restore it to order. My eyes watered a bit more, and layered my skin with more mascara. I was a mess.

Not Looking Good

And that's us if we're only hearers of the word. I hadn't changed at all after viewing my appearance. My life only worsened it. My hair needed a comb, my face a little "spit and polish." Without tending to what I knew to be wrong, my appearance only worsened.

In our lives, we listen to the words of this week's sermon on giving thanks in all things. Then we go home and complain--about Obama, about the weather, about ISIS, or about our husband's socks on the floor. We don't get the gratitude that makes life divine. The sermon did nothing to transform us.

We read in our Bibles to give to the fatherless and the widows, but on Thanksgiving we stuff our stomachs then grouse on the couch when our favorite dog doesn't win the dog show or that our mother-in-law's cole slaw unsettld our stomach. No one is helped. Those who have nothing on Thanksgiving still have zilch. Those who gave to us are not appreciated.

You hear the building fund needs money? The kids' church lacks helpers? Someone needs to fill out the choir? 

Do you sit and say, "Why doesn't someone step up?"

Have you looked in the mirror?