Are we all Mirrors

When you look into a mirror have you ever thought about how amazing it really is? Most of us rely on mirrors everyday, when we drive, watch TV or even when spending money. Our credit cards and notes are secured with mirrored holograms.

Mirrors can take us to places hardly imagined. Not just for Alice stepping through the looking glass; but telescopes and microscopes of every size use mirrors. Hubble has allowed us to see images of the very edges of our universe, while microscopes have let us examine DNA, the building blocks of life. Mirrors can also reflect the darker side of life. Archimedes used mirrors to focus sunlight into a burning ray, to destroy invading Roman ships; modern nuclear weapons use mirrors to reflect x-rays to detonate the warheads. Personally we use them to change the way we look. To shave, dry our hair, brush our teeth, to tie our ties and apply our lipstick.

Recently I have noticed that I have been using other mirrors at work. These mirrors can change the way I feel or act, these mirrors are my colleagues. If they feel bad, so do I, if they are motivated, so am I. Everyone, including me, can act as a mirror. We reflect the mood and spirit around us. There are many times when I am arrogant, pretentious, selfish, uncaring or devious. I may have my reasons; maybe I am tired, under pressure, even scared or shy. But when I act in these ways, those around won’t know why. They may reflect back a mood and spirit I would not want duplicated in this world.

So if today my spirit is going to be reflected in the people I meet, shouldn’t I be making sure that the spirit within me is the Holy Spirit, the spirit that I would like to reflect?

[This was my first thought on the formation program, many weeks of effort went into it and most of the ideas ended up being edited out. I have also changed the last line to "So if today my spirit is going to be reflected in the people I meet, shouldn’t I be making sure that the spirit within me is the spirit that I would like to reflect?" and circulated it to my peer group at work during previous re-organisations, with positive effect.]