Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Fairest?

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Do you remember this line from the fairy tale Snow White? The evil stepmother looks into the mirror and asks the question. She is haggard and bent and not fair at all, but the mirror answers, “Why you are, my queen.” The mirror has been asked this question before and knew the expected answer. It knew the consequences of answering wrong.


Humor me for a moment…I realize mirrors are inanimate objects and can’t reason and think like we humans can. It’s a fairy tale and there is a point here.

This week I felt like that Snow White’s wicked step mother. I looked in my figurative mirror and asked it to declare me fair and good and perfect. But what stared back at me was bent, twisted, and ugly. There was no denying it; my inner thoughts were a mess and I just wanted to make them okay.

You see, I had a couple of interactions this week that pushed me to my limit. I was frustrated and I acted out in a way that wasn’t very nice and it certainly wasn’t very Christian. I walked away trying to justify my behavior and make my inner image the fairest of them all, but I couldn’t. My inner mirror responded with, “That was ugly and hateful and you are not the fairest of them all.”

I hung my head in shame. I knew because of the circumstances, I couldn’t make amends. I wouldn’t be able to find the people I had zinged in order to apologize to them. I could only ask God to bless them with interactions with people kinder than I was.

Now, I am not normally an angry person who lashes out. I tend to hold it in and I try to be gracious with those who frustrate me. But, as I brought this all before my Lord and confessed my anger and ill behavior I realized that even though I don’t speak the words to the person, I often allow the thoughts to fill my mind and poison my life. I am quick to judge people and brand them in my mind. Wow, the image in my figurative mirror was becoming more and more like the vile stepmother. I didn’t like what I saw.

My friend Joy over at Joyful Journey wrote this post and I could relate to the women who spoke out to Joy and her friend. When I read the words of her husband I wanted to shout, “Yes, I need a muzzle for my thoughts!” Joy points out that her son wouldn’t keep a hat on his head but they compensated by using lots of sunscreen. She pointed out that her friend was going through a really tough time in her life. We never know what the other person is going through so we have no right to judge them. And, we certainly have no right to

So, while I am thankful that I don’t often speak out my mean and hurtful thoughts to strangers I am ashamed that I let them run rampant in my brain. And, I often repeat them to my friends or family. There are times when I truly do need a muzzle for my thoughts.