Getting Rid of Those ‘Magic Mirrors’ of the Past

By Jessica Brodie

I have what my sister, Sara, calls a “magic mirror” in my workout room. It’s slightly tilted so I can see my form when I lift weights, but according to Sara, it has the added bonus of making one’s body appear far slimmer than normal. I’m really only using it to keep my form in line (pulled muscles, no thanks!) but she’s right—my legs look longer and my waist far more slender in this magic mirror. It’s a pretty great trick, especially on blah days.

Sometimes we look at things in life through a similar distorted mirror or lens. We see the bad in someone instead of the good, or maybe turn a blind eye to a gaping sin in someone we care about because their stunning outward appearance or charm distorts our vision.

Sometimes, that skewed perspective inflates or distorts our view of the past in unhealthy ways. For instance, I remember going to a place called Riverboat Playhouse when I was in elementary school (think pizza and arcade games much like Chuck E. Cheese, but with riverboat characters). To me, Riverboat Playhouse was the most amazing place in town. It was huge, bright, colorful—basically, to my seven-year-old mind, perfect. But one day, when I was much older, I went back there and was staggered by how much it had changed. The lighting seemed dingy, and it was much smaller than I remembered. In reality, the place hadn’t changed—I had. I’d grown up.

That distorted perspective can be funny, but it can be dangerous, too. For instance, in Exodus 16, the Israelites, now hungry and wandering the desert en route to the Promised Land after Moses set them free from Egyptian slavery, had a distorted view of their past. Instead of remembering the beatings, the shackles, the forced labor, and their lack of value in society, their present situation distorted their memories and inflated their view of the past.

There in the Desert of Sin partway between Elim and Sinai, in the second month of their journey, they began to complain to Moses and his brother, Aaron. “The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death’” (Exodus 16:3 NIV).

There we had all the food we wanted, they said—yet they conveniently forgot as slaves they’d cried out to the Lord for rescue so fervently that God remembered His covenant with their ancestors and answered their prayers (Exodus 2:23-25).

Hindsight can be flawed. Wounds become scars. We complain, forgetting to trust in God. We grumble, turning our hearts from gratitude.

But God is good, perfect, almighty. God can be trusted. He keeps His promises.

If you are struggling with a period of discontent right now, unsettled and unhappy about your present circumstances, stop and turn your heart to God. Perhaps there is a reason you are experiencing this season. Perhaps it is far better than your prior situation—only your worries, fears, and lack of faith are distorting your vision and making you doubt all the good God has in store.

Forget magic mirrors, skewed perspectives, and restless hearts. Focus on God, and trust in His promises.

He provides everything you need if only you trust in Him.