When a baby spies themselves in the mirror, they automatically smile. It is a rewarding action, because the baby they are seeing smiles back. The bigger they smile, the bigger the return. It is a happy moment, as they are sharing the joy.
They do not immediately recognize that the baby in the mirror is them. It takes time and a certain amount of logical reasoning before they will know they are smiling at themselves. They are not self-conscious - they aren't worrying about how they look, or whether their hair is perfect, or if their smile is crooked, or their skin is fresh. They are looking at the attitude, and reflecting what they see - joy.
As we mature, we become critical, evaluating every flaw and blemish, focusing not on the beauty, but the imperfections. Even the most beautiful among us, perhaps even more so, find the fault instead of the virtue when they are engaged in the harsh self-examination that occurs when we spot our own reflection. When we look in the mirror, we are self-conscious, seeing not the image of God, but human imperfection. It is not what God wants for us when we see ourselves.
We are told in the Bible that we are made in God's image. Every person is talented and amazing and beautiful in their own personal way, no matter what they think the mirror is telling them. God doesn't make mistakes, and his creation is perfect. We aren't boastful or prideful to see the beauty in God's handiwork, even if it is our own face or body, if we are humbly acknowledging his glorious power in our human form.
Today I am grateful for mirrors, which remind me, each time I gaze upon my own countenance, that I am God's chosen child, special, unique, and wonderful in my own way. Like the baby who encounters joy by seeing her own reflection, I will see the joy in my soul when I see the reflection of God in the mirror.
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