This Side of the Creek

On my drive up from Kentucky this morning I was listening to a powerful song called “Piece of Glass” by Caedmon’s Call about living with an eating disorder. The song talks about how every day with the disorder leads to living a little bit less. The grander message behind the song, however, is the power our mirrors can have over us. The chorus features words that may resonate with you:

“Who are you that lies
when you stare at my face
telling me that I’m just a trace
of the person I once was
’cause I just can’t tell if you’re telling the truth or a lie;
on you I just can’t rely.
After all you’re just a piece of glass.”

In a beauty-obsessed world, facing the mirror daily can be a challenge for many of us. Whether you struggle with an eating disorder, body image and self-esteem issues, or nothing in particular, standing in front of that piece of glass can create a pain that pierces deep into the soul. “I just want to be beautiful,” you may say to yourself.

The reality is that each and every human being was created differently. There can be only one you and only one me. We can stare into the mirror for hours trying every new product to make ourselves look better and fit the world’s acceptable mold, but in the process we may lose ourselves.

As Caedmon’s Call sings, “After all you’re just a piece of glass.”

And it’s true.

The mirror is just a piece of glass encased, and sometimes not, in a man-made frame to be hung on our walls. Designers may use these mirrors to add the illusion of space to small rooms, but for some the mirrors are a reminder of all that is wrong with them and what they wish they can change.

Sadly, these desired changes can extend beyond the physical. It may start with wanting fuller lips and end with “I’m such a failure. I just want a husband, a good career and a family.”

The shattered reality behind the mirror is that it only has as much power as we let it have. If we look inside that piece of glass and use it to judge and manipulate ourselves, then we have given it a power it doesn’t deserve. We may stare and stare and stare hoping that one thing, anything, will change and we may walk away feeling tortured when it doesn’t. We take power away from our soul and place it on a manufactured item that can be bought for less than $10.

Is that what we really want to direct our future or to tell us who we are and who we can become?

I’ll be the first to admit that I hate looking in the mirror. I do it, but I hate it. I’m rarely satisfied with what I see staring back. The mirror “speaks” in a negative tone pointing out all I need to be in order for it to show me beauty. It does that because I let it happen.

Next time you look in the mirror, what will you see? What will you allow the piece of glass to tell you about you?

“Who are you that lies when you stare at my face?
Telling me that I’m just a trace of the person I once was
‘Cause we’re not the same, you’re just a picture of me.
You’re gone as soon as I leave. You’ve lived your life for me.
And you’re no more than a piece of glass…”