Reflections

When our youngest son was in 4th grade, he took piano lessons in a nearby town taught by a sweet, mature young lady in her late teens. She made the lessons fun by having her students earn points for doing different things like practicing and attending lessons. His teacher also told him that at the end of a particular time period, there would be a piano recital where he and all her other students would play in front of an audience.

Joshua faithfully went to the lessons as well as practiced. He saved up all his points for a bigger prize rather than redeeming them for little toys. Eventually, he was able to get an ice cone maker. He was thrilled about that, even though the only one she had was pink! He didn't care because he got a new toy that also made delicious cold treats.

Then the day came for the recital. He had just finished a Little League baseball game, and we had to make a mad dash to the local private college where the event was held. We had to wipe off the sweat from the baseball game on his face and neck with personal wipes and he changed in the car into nice casual pants, a white shirt, and a tie. Nobody knew he had just come off a dusty baseball field. He played well and received a nice certificate from his piano teacher.

Joshua told me afterward that at one point he almost messed up. I asked him how. He explained that the auditorium had a stage light in the ceiling behind him which shown so brightly on the piano that he could see the reflection of his hands. Because of this, at one point he was looking at the reflection of his hands instead of his real hands and almost messed up. Thankfully, he realized what he was doing just in time, snapped out of it, and refocused on his real hands.

One definition online states, "A reflection is just the production of an image by, or as if by a mirror, of the real thing."

I thought about this and wondered how often in life we focus on "reflections" or circumstances and situations that may appear like the real thing instead of the real thing. One example is social media. It's so easy to have "friends" on Facebook. But you know as well as I do that we can have 100 "friends" on it and be relationally starved. I am on Facebook and enjoy keeping up with friends and relatives living in other states and other countries. But in general, seeing people's lives on FB or getting some "likes" is not the same as doing life together and having conversations in person. We may think we are connected socially because we see people's posts and conversations, but we are not. It's just a reflection of connecting in person.

I am thankful for technology because during the Covid pandemic, we were still able to attend church online in real-time. It was good but it wasn't the same. Even as an introvert, I missed conversations with people. I missed hugging friends and asking how their week went. I missed getting together with our life group, looking at God's Word together, sharing life together, and praying for each other. Like I said, even as thankful as I was to still be able to attend church online, the experience just wasn't the same -- just a "reflection", if that.

God knew what He was doing when he said, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV) I am not a theologian nor do I claim to know everything about the Bible because I don't, but I do know that God didn't create us to be alone at home but to be with other believers. Why? The verse above says so we can encourage each other toward love and doing good. I'm thankful the online option was available for days when I did not feel well, but I would not want a steady diet of church online personally. 

One of my favorite places in Colorado is the Rocky Mountain National Park with its many trails where some would lead to lakes and waterfalls. Two years ago, our family went there. Besides other trails, we hiked one that took us to Bear Lake. Then from there, we hiked on and came to this lake called Bierstadt Lake.

It was quiet and the water was very still so the reflection was amazingly clear. But even as clear as it was, the reflection had ragged edges. And one little stone tossed in the water would disrupt the reflection because it was just that, a reflection, and not the real thing.

If you have been living life based on "reflections", I would encourage you to seek the real thing. Get together with friends and do life together instead of browsing posts online. Come to church in person rather than watch it on a screen (unless you are sick, of course). Enter into a relationship with God through his Son Jesus rather than follow a pastor and his messages, even as there are some great pastors out there. They only encourage and inspire, and they are faulty human beings just like you and me. But God loves you, is the perfect Father, and wants to have a relationship with you now and for eternity. If you don't know how to do that, feel free to PM me.