Every morning before I go to class, I examine myappearance. I find myself looking in the mirror for a long period of time,sometimes causing me to be late for class. I have to make sure that everythingis right and intact, before I leave to go out into the public.
I brush my teeth and wash my face, making sure theyare clean. I put lotion all over my body, so there won’t be any visibility ofwhite ash. I put my clothes on, matching them to my style. I put Vaseline on mylips, adding moisture to them. I do my hair, twisting and moving my dreads intoa comfortable position.
Lastly,after checking, rechecking, and examining my appearance in the mirror, I smile.I am now ready to go to class.
I was reading a poem one day by Dr. Trudy Veermanentitled Mirror of the Soul. After I finished reading it, the beginning excerptstuck in my mind. “The outer beauty of ourselves is just as deep as our skin.We may look fair or meager but that which matters is within.”
This made me think. I thought about how we as humansget so caught up in our outward appearance, that we never take time to look atthe inward. We are too busy looking in the mirror, trying to make what weperceive from our reflection into perfection. Granted, it is important to havea suitable appearance, but we shouldn’t neglect how we look on the inside aswell.
I considered the title of Dr. Veerman’s poem. Iquestioned: What if our soul really did have a mirror? What would it reflect?What would we see? Would we see who we really are, and not the person we appearto be? Many of you are walking around, acting and appearing to be someone youaren’t. People think they know you, but let the truth be told, they have noidea.
Some of you appear to have it all: good looks, nicecar with rims, money and a whole bunch of friends. You seem to be happy, but onthe inside you are lonely, crying out for comfort. Others may seem nice, downto earth and cool. But really your heart is filled with so much anger, hate andcontempt. In the end, if your emotions are not taken care of, they willconclude to be fatal.
Materialistic things aren’t everything, becausematerials wither away. Outward beauty can come and go instantaneously — no oneis promised they will wake up looking the same way the next day. What trulymatters is what lies pass the skin.
What if the mirror of your soul was shown in themirror of your bathroom. Fromseeing this inward reflection, would you go outside and mingle amongst yourpeers? Or would you try to clean yourself, wiping away all of the dirt anddisgust?
Our aim in this present life should be to reflectbeauty. Reflecting it not only through physical appearance, but inner as well.We must concentrate on who we are in our innermost being, examining all of ourfaults and insecurities. Fixing all of the imperfections we have on the inside,before trying to perfect the outside.
In the end everyone’s true colors will be shown,because that which is contained inside, ultimately determines what is obtainedon the outside. Just as people notice a person’s bodily facade, one can alsosense another’s essence. Thus, the epitome of who we are should reflect toothers nothing less than beautiful.
