Mirrored Image.

“The man who simply hears and does nothing about it is like a man catching the reflection of his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, it is true, but he goes on with whatever he was doing without the slightest recollection of what sort of person he saw in the mirror. But the man who looks into the perfect mirror of God's law, the law of liberty (or freedom), and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who sees and forgets. He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness.”- James 1:23-25 [Philips]

Have you ever heard of the Pygmalion effect? 

In 1986, two researchers by the names of Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson instigated a classroom experiment. At the beginning of the school year, the analysts gave elementary school teachers the names of children who were expected to excel, based on the results of a test administered the year before. At the end of the year, a second intelligence test was conducted. The results showed that the children labeled as “academic spurters” had experienced an average IQ increase of 12-20 points (Rosenthal and Jacobson, 1986). Furthermore, at the end of the year, the teachers observed, “These ‘special’ students were better behaved, were more intellectually curious, had greater chances for future success, and were friendlier than their nonspecial counterparts” (Rosenthal and Jacobson).

You can guess what happened next. Rosenthal and Jacobson revealed that they had chosen the names of the children at random. The kids’ academic achievement came about not because they were especially gifted, but because they were believed to be. The two men planted perspective in the minds of each teacher at the school, and lives were changed. 

You and I are just like the children at that school. Each one of us wants to believe we matter. We want our life to have a greater purpose and worth. We want our presence to change the world for the better, in a unique way. We want someone to recognize that we’re special, and love us exactly for who we are. Here’s an awesome thing: We get to be this person for each other. Every day, we have the chance to affirm those we come into contact with. As evidenced by the Pygmalion effect, it is in us to evoke identity.  Why not?! Let’s sow encouragement and reap change. Let’s gift belief. 

…But, here’s the thing. We’re going to run into a major roadblock on the way. In order to truthfully encourage one another, we need to overcome a major obstacle: Ourselves.

Friends, we have to stop the gossip. We have to end the cut-downs, the cruel behavior, and the duplicity. There’s just no love in it. I have become convicted by Will Durant’s observation: "To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves." Honestly, if we know and realize who we are - undeserving, forgiven, cherished children of Abba – we wouldn’t need to tear each other down, would we? Instead, our actions would resonate with the knowledge that we are, each of us, the least of these. Who do we think we are, to make other people feel less-than about themselves? 

The Bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Mmm. There’s no way out of that one. It’s cut and dry. Each day, we choose whether to speak Life or Death over every person we meet. Instead of being so quick to persecute, why don’t we try to call out the positive traits we recognize in one another? We have the opportunity to serve as a living mirror. When people come to us, we can do one of two things. We can reflect the ugly, harsh perspective of our flesh. Or we can reflect the heart of Christ.   

So… Sure. We can label each other if we want. We can laugh and point fingers. Or we can live and love like Jesus. We can look down on the girl we pass by every day, calling her a slut – or we can call her needed. (Rahab.) We can laugh and call the boy eating alone an outcast – or we can call him chosen. (Zacchaeus.) We can judge the man beside us in the elevator, and call him screwed up – or we can call him beloved. (David.) We can misunderstand the woman sitting in the next cubicle, calling her irresponsible and lazy – or we can call her wise. (Mary, sister of Martha.)

Maybe the people we see as prideful, obnoxious, and burdensome are really just lost and confused. Maybe - like James was talking about earlier – they just forgot what they looked like the last time they walked away from a mirror. John Maxwell writes, "People tend to become what the most important people in their lives think they will become." So, let’s change the way we think. Let’s become a mirrored image of Christ’s heart. The person we’ve spent so much time belittling doesn’t need our trash talk. They need someone to step up to the plate, and point them toward becoming who they really are. 

“It’s out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Steep your heart in kindness. Fill your mouth with Life. Let unmerited favor define your actions. Affirm your friends. Love your enemies. Love them. Be a contagion of grace.

We’ve got a choice to make, right now, and it’s Life or Death.

Without wax,

Sarah.

(Check out more about the Pygmalion effect at: http://www.sagepub.com/newman4study/resources/rosenthal1.htm)