Shattered Mirrors

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard.’” –Genesis 3:8

When moving a giant wall mirror from my grandmother’s house, one of the men carrying it was negligent and one of its corners hit the ground, chipping off a chunk of its corner. What was once the centerpiece of my grandmother’s dining room gatherings, now sits covered and hidden in the dark recesses of my parents’ basement.

Consider the essence of the serpent’s accusation: “God is lying to you. He is hiding good from you.” And yet what happens immediately following mankind consuming the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, deciding for themselves right and wrong? The very image-bearers of God HIDE from God. The very ones meant to reflect God’s good character now must conceal and cover themselves. They immediately recognize that a broken mirror is useless, because it reflects a lie, especially when it’s purpose is to reflect the perfect holiness of God. And Adam and Eve did more than chip a corner in negligence, they willfully shattered it with envy, believing that there was something better hidden behind it.

So they cover themselves and hide in the dark.

Before the good news can truly be received, the bad news must be accepted. Not only about others, but about ourselves. We are broken, shattered beyond repair. And we properly feel the shame of the evil we have committed (Eph 5:12). To hide this is to only heap up further rebellion, not to mention foolishness under the all-seeing eye of the Lord (Heb 4:13).

But don’t miss something powerful here. God’s purpose in shame is not to drive us away from Him, but draw us close. “Cover [your enemies’] faces with shame, so they might seek you, O Lord,” (Psa 83:16). A thing is visibly broken to demonstrate we have mistreated it, and that repair is needed. But we were never meant to fix our brokenness, for a shattered mirror cannot be repaired but must be replaced by the manufacturer. Likewise, when we find that our life is lost, we should seek it’s source (Act 3:15; Col 1:16).

So do not hide your brokenness from the Maker, and do not try and mend what is irreparable—whether your own mirror or another’s. Rather, let shame drive you to seek His redeeming hand (Neh 1:10), and point other’s to the Great Miracle Worker who not only repairs humanity (Mat 21:14), but resurrects dead men to life (John 11:43; 1Pe 1:3).

Keep digging for that treasure (Mat 13:44).

Billy Neal