Wednesday, July 22, 2009


Images are everything. In the world of news, if you don't have video, usually no matter how dramatic the story, you don't really have a story.

That's first and foremost why most of us put a picture into our blog attempts.

For this rant, I give you Levi. The third son of Jacob, but the forth child in the Trimble family.

I had to take him yesterday to the doctors for his 9-month check-up. Loads of fun. Only one vaccination for this visit, so no real tears.

As we were waiting for the doctor to examine him, I was holding him and we were looking in the the huge mirror on the wall. At first he was all giggles about the mirror. There he was. There I was. Laughter. It was funny.

But then he got all serious. He kept looking in the mirror, then looking at me. He would reach out for the mirror, and only get the cool glass. But then he would turn to me and reach out. And usually I got a cheek or lip pulled, or I received a finger in the mouth or nose.

Back and forth he went. Impressed with the mirror, however, definitely more impressed when he could squeeze my face.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NET Bible)
"For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face."

Yep, I was reading the love chapter the other night and this verse popped out at me. Seriously, I had to re-read it, because I wasn't sure I could remember that in chapter 13.

Right now, we see God indirectly. As the footnotes in the NET Bible say:
"Paul’s point in this analogy, then, is not that our current understanding and relationship with God is distorted (as if the mirror reflected poorly), but rather that it is “indirect,” (i.e., the nature of looking in a mirror) compared to the relationship we will enjoy with him in the future when we see him “face to face”.

That played out for me in the pediatrician's office yesterday. Levi was impressed and enjoyed the company of the mirror; but he was certainly engaged with the real "face to face" me.

And then I think this: how awesome is God's grace and mercy and love to me as I view Him in the mirror? It is beyond words. Yet, he promises us an eternity "face to face".

1 comment:

Aaron Shust said...

Brother. This brought tears. What a beautiful analogy. I love it when we 'catch' the pictures that God shows us. I read this to Sarah, thanks for pointing us to Jesus this morning.

Levi and Nicky need to get together sometime. :)