Mirrors

Dion's post on who we are and who we aren't reflects some of my own thoughts. And so this inner-debate continued through the week, becoming very clear while listening to an interview on the radio about crime in our country.

The commentator used as an analogy the story of Snow White. As you may recall, her evil stepmother stood in front of the mirror everyday asking the same question. She asked: "Mirror, mirror on the wall...Who is the most beautiful of them all?". The mirror always responded with the words: "You are". While reading the story, one knows that she is aware of one who is more beautiful and that the mirror is not speaking the whole truth. One day the mirror does, to which the evil stepmother responds with violence, anger and denial.

There are many mirrors that exist today. Each one tells its own version of the truth. South Africa is faced with the reality that it is no longer the most beautiful of all and that it is blemished by crime, corruption and greed. We wince. The church is made aware that it is not the place of grace and unconditional love which it professes to be, because it cannot see a truth beyond natural law. We cringe. The world is not as prosperous as it makes out to be, because as we are killing God's earth, we do so while 95% of the world's population do not have money in their wallets. We hide.

Mirrors are nevertheless deceptive. They show us an image of ourselves that others do not see. It is the inverse image of another's view. I am scared to look into the mirror. It might just tell me a truth that I do not wish to hear. But I hope to that my life can be a small reflection of Jesus. This reflection may not be comfortable to the world around me, I may not find it comfortable myself, but at least it is a reflection that gives hope and promise.