What Are You Reflecting?

"In our community it is so easy to focus on the tragedies.  God wants us to be a mirror of Christ to the world so that when they look at the Church they see Jesus.  When they look at the Church they see the solution not the problem."  (Dr. Robi Sonderegger)

Everytime we turn on the TV, open a newspaper or surf the internet we are confronted with a perpetual reminder of the brokeness of this world.  With such a saturation of bad news it is easy to be overwhelmed by the tragedies of the world and to allow all that is wrong in the world to dominate our thinking.  Clinical pyschologist Robi Sonderegger asserts that "whatever you focus your attention on you get more of," which supports the Apostle Paul's call to the Roman Christians to "be transformed by the renewing of the mind" (Rom 12:2) and to the Philippian church to change the focus of their thinking to all that which is good (Phil 4:8).  

Far from being a denial of reality or a new form of 'positive thinking' theology, it is a recognition of the truth that to a large extent we are what we think!  

As a redeemed people of God we possess the knowledge of the good news of Jesus Christ which has the power to transform our lives. If this life changing knowledge of God dominated our thinking instead of the evil of this world, then maybe our view of ourselves and the world would shift from brokenness to wholeness.  Maybe we would project an image of hope rather than perpetuate an image of despair.  Alter the image and the reflection will change.

Imagine if the Church turned its eyes upon Jesus and reflected His character to the world, so that when the world looked at the Church they really would "see the solution not the problem!"