Life, Magnified

Did you do this as a child: inspect a flower (or a bug) under a magnifying glass to see every detail? Are you nodding yes? Me, too. There's something special about looking up close at the delicate petals of a flower or the minuscule veins of its leaves. I was excited to look at the bug, too—until I noticed the sharp pinchers and pointy-looking appendages! Eww! 

I opted to inspect more gentle living things and inanimate objects: a butterfly, a blade of grass, and smooth river stones. When I looked through the magnifying glass,  I was surprised to see a coiled hook on the butterfly's mouth, spiny edges along the edges of the blades of grass, and divots in the stones. 

Later, playing with sticks in the yard, I got a splinter. It didn't hurt too much. My mother held the magnifying glass over my finger. The end of the splinter was stuck in the center of my middle finger, and I noted the swirling, curvy pattern on my fingertips that I'd not seen before.   

"Everyone's fingerprints are different," Mom remarked. "Do you know that no one else in the world has fingerprints just like yours?" Amazed, I barely noticed as she pulled out the splinter.   

As an adult, I still use a magnifying glass on occasion, but these days, I avoid looking too close at the details—the age spots on my face and forearms, the large pores at the end of my nose, or the tiny lines accompanying the wrinkles on my forehead, above my lip, and the creases surrounding my mouth.     

Sometimes our lives can feel magnified, too.  

But if there was anyone whose life was truly magnified, it was that of Jesus. His enemies scrutinized Him. They magnified every word or action, turning against him and twisting their interpretation of who He really was: Jesus Christ, Son of God, blameless, without sin. Talk about magnification—he took upon himself the sin of mankind as he hung crucified on the cross.  

Sometimes I wonder what God sees when he looks at me? My first inclination is to frown, for I am flawed. But then I remind myself that God isn't using a magnifying glass. He overlooks every splotch and marking on the outside and every speck of sin on the inside. I smile. I am a forgiven child of the King. I am cleansed through my faith and belief in Him. He sees through my flaws. And He will see through yours, too.  

The next time you have an "Eww" moment or feel a frown forming, remember how God sees you—as something beautiful! 

All things good are magnified through the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord!
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"Take away my sin, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." -  Psalm 51:7 

Blog adapted from a previous post from 9/2018.   
​Photo: Nancy Johnson 

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