Monday, the First Week of Lent

  We were created in the image of God.  Genesis, chapter 1, verse 26 tells us so.  Since God is pure spirit the image is not a physical one, but spiritual.  During Lent let’s take stock of our own spiritual image to see if we are reflecting the image of God.

  Jesus, as God and Man, gave us a physical example of what we are to be as well.  His life, death, and resurrection speak to us of how we are to live our life if we are to truly be in the image of God and Jesus.  Lent is also the time to review our physical image and actions in relation to those of Jesus.  We need to evaluate how well we are reflecting the image of love, mercy and compassion shown by our Lord. 

  Sometimes I wish there were a mirror that would reflect not our face but our spirit.  When I look in a mirror I can see the condition of my physical self and determine what I need to do to improve it.  If the mirror showed me the condition of my spirit I could see the things needed to improve spiritually; to better be the image of God.  Am I a loving person?  Do I love not only my family and friends but my enemies as well?  Am I feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those sick or in prison?  These are the things Jesus taught that we must do if we are to follow Him.  These are the images of God.

  While I sometimes wish for such a mirror I also fear what the mirror would show me.  When we look into a mirror do we overlook the flaws that we don’t want to see?  Do we think to ourselves that we are looking pretty good when reality says we need to lose weight or do a better job of taking care of the miraculous body God has given us?  I believe most of us do that from time to time.  It’s not always easy to acknowledge our flaws.

  When we look into the depth of our heart I fear we do the same thing.  As we look for an image of God do we see our true image or the image we wish to see? To better understand where we stand in our efforts to truly be an image of God we need to see our faults, not ignore or overlook them.  Only when we admit they exist can we strive to eliminate them and improve our image.

  This Lent take the time, perhaps as the last thing before going to sleep each night, to really look into yourself.  Consider the day you have just had.  Did you reflect the image of God?  In your interactions with others did they see God in you?  Did you see God in them?  None of us likes to be reminded that we aren’t doing the best we could so this might be a difficult exercise.  If we approach it with honesty and a desire to improve perhaps we can reflect a more God-like image tomorrow.