Mirror - Image

I was thinking about images. One of my friends was in a picture. I asked when showing it to them - "Is that you?" "No," they replied, "I am not." I was confused, it looked as though it was a younger version with a different appearance, hair length, slightly younger shadow of who they were at the time. Before I could follow it up with a query as to whether the person in the photo was a relation, they clarified. "That was me, I am no longer that person. That image is not ME." 

I understood, but it was a different perspective on the matter than was customary. Photos are moments captured in time - their subjects change & shift in minor ways that cumulate into building them to a different person. Still it felt like semantics, maybe the person was trying to be clever or make a point. Perhaps both.

It caused me to consider &, as is my habit I squirreled it away in the garden of my mind, leaving it to be fertilized by ideas old & new.

One of these is the concept of mirrors. The concept of viewing your own reflection & recognizing it as yourself is a test of self-awareness & consciousness.  But mirrors are imperfect - they show a face, but it is in reverse.  I have to remind myself that the image's right eye is my left, it needs to be reflected upon others to show my full profile from all angles.  Yes, it is useful as a tool, but must be held as such. Images are imperfect, it takes a multitude of reflections to achieve a complete picture of yourself.

As I write this, my focus can refract into many directions & conclusions. I hope that my musings stir you to greater thought upon these, reaching conclusions I never dreamed. Maybe you don't think about this as an issue worth addressing - it is easier to accept it as a truth of life.

But I am not satisfied. I need to be provoked to thought, to progress, to action upon what weaknesses I see in my environment & myself. Too much of the time, I leave my thinking to others, outsourcing my opinions to those who have already studied & decided. I haven't gone through the process of experimenting on my own, discovering data, & understanding why the conclusions were made as they were.

Things are always moving, changing, revising. Yes, I can learn through the snapshotted views of others, but I should remember that only God knows the final truth. That should not faze me from pursuing a greater knowledge of Him & his creation. We are fearfully & wonderfully made in His image. While we are imperfect, there remains a shadow of our future perfection in Him. I will strive to be a clear glass, polished through his tempering, cleaned by His blood, reflecting His love & light to those around me. An image lasts but a moment, but the subject lasts eternal.