A while back, I bought a full-length mirror to hang on the back of my bathroom door. Instead of hanging it right away, it’s still propped up against the wall. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s the position in which it’s leaning, but it distorts my reflection. I’m certainly not complaining. The distorted view is one I’m quite comfortable with: it makes me look taller and slimmer! I like it! Of course, when I step over to my dresser mirror, I see my real reflection. It’s not quite as pretty. I don’t like it as much…so I just step back to the leaning mirror to make myself feel good for a minute!
There are many who would offer us a distorted view of God. Many of them make us feel good about ourselves: our sin doesn’t look so bad when we compare it to that of others. Some present God as a genie-in-the-bottle: if we just believe enough, God will prosper us and give us our best lives now. Some present God as one who sits on the edge of his seat, waiting for us to break the rules so he can zap us. Others present God as one who doesn’t really care about sin or obedience: he just expects us to correct social injustices. The list could go on and on and on…
Sometimes I stumble onto one of these views. Depending on which one I’ve stumbled on, for a time, I might feel better about myself; or I might feel like the biggest failure in the world. It’s easy to hang onto things that make you feel good; and it’s easy to allow yourself to live in condemnation. But neither are from God.
When we read the Bible, in context, in view of the whole, we know Truth. God is Truth. And when we know Truth, we can discern distorted views. And although they may hold our gaze for a few moments, we should know to step away from the views that would harm us. And the truth is that sometimes God must confront us with the truth about ourselves and about Himself. And it’s not always a view we want to experience. It’s easy then to step away from the truth, back into a distorted view, because distorted views are sometimes easier to handle. But we must hold fast to the Truth, to the character of God, presented as a whole in His Word.
Where are your eyes directed…on a distorted view, or on the Truth?
