2 Corinthians 3:18 - Beautiful, Stagnant Water

 

A friend and I were driving through Montana this summer. Through some trees, we glimpsed a snow-capped mountain in the distance. We both instinctively wanted to turn the car around for a better look. My friend saw the mountain; I saw its reflection in a pond. On closer inspection, the pond was relatively small and a bit stagnant. But it still made a beautiful photograph.

Why are we captivated by photographs that include reflections? The glory of a snow-capped mountain is multiplied by being reflected in the water. It doesn't matter whether the water is pure or a bit swampy, whether it is deep or shallow. The water takes on the beauty of what it reflects. 

Paul wrote:
"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, New American Standard Bible, 1995)

In Bible times, mirrors were made of polished metal and common people couldn't afford high quality mirrors. Though polished, they still had scratches, dents and other imperfections that would distort the quality of any reflection.

So there are two metaphors.
First, what we see of God's glory is a dim reflection of the full reality.
Second, the original quality of the water or the mirror doesn't matter:  it is transformed by reflecting God's glory.

Lord, Some days I feel like a scratched up mirror or a shallow, swampy pond. But I'm going to keep looking at You to be filled with Your glory. Let my little light shine because it's all about Your light, anyway! In Jesus' name, Amen.