Reflection by Christina Aguilera
Look at me
You may think you see
Who I really am
But you'll never know me
Every day
It's as if I play a part
Now I see
If I wear a mask
I can fool the world
But I cannot fool my heart
Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
This song is sung by the title character, Mulan, a Chinese girl, who feels nothing but shame because she feels that she will never measure up to the enormous standards set by her relatives. As a result, she feels that in order to feel validated & appreciated, Mulan, must wear a facade — a mask — that will hide her true self, her real identity in order to ingratiate herself in her culture & society & at the same time bring honor to her family. And thus provides the impetus for the story to begin — a girl who dresses herself as a man in order to fight for her family & preserve the only surviving male, her father, from military service.
Mulan has figured out that there is a sense of a dual personality going on — there is on the one hand, her natural self, her concealed self that no one appreciates but herself; on the other hand is the revealed self, the mask, that anyone & everyone else around her wishes that she reveals more naturally. But to Mulan, this revealed character that everyone seems to appreciate feels phony & fake to her. There’s nothing ‘real’ about it — its forgery, plain & simple & Mulan must be imprisoned by it.
This is very striking when we compare it to another story of a reflection —
The Story of Narcissus
Day after day, Narcissus stared at the water, in love with his own reflection.
He began to waste away from grief, until one sad morning,
he felt himself dying.
“Goodbye, my love!” he shouted to his reflection.
Do you notice the difference? Mulan & Narcissus are both staring at their reflection but only one of them sees the idealized beauty behind the mask. Is one of them right or are both of them wrong? The answer — they are both right! They are both looking at themselves in the way in which they desire to look themselves — Mulan can only help but to look at the miserable facade & chooses to characterize that facade as ‘ugly’ compared to her real inner self. Narcissus can only help but to look at the facade & see the quintessence of beauty staring straight back at him. Mulan desires not to see the beauty in the facade — Narcissus desires not to see the beauty in his inner being.
And yet we praise Mulan for not being the exact superficial selfish creature as Narcissus evidently presents himself. But is this caricature & characterization a correct one to have?
1 John 2:5-6
5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
But whoever keeps His Word, in him truly the Love of God is Perfected! What this means at face value is that obedience to His Word means the perfection of Love in his whole being. Only the person’s inner being or his emotions or is there something else at work? The Love of God exemplified in Galatians 5:22 — For the Fruit of Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, & Self-Control — here, the Apostle Paul spells out in no uncertain terms the exact contra-distinction of those living in the flesh as opposed to those living in the Spirit. Those living in the flesh will exhibit the exact opposite traits from those living in the Spirit.
Thus to be perfected in Love means that both the physical attributes of Love as well as the internal makeup that drives those physical attributes of Love will be perfected. Both the inner self & the outer self will be perfected in Love.
How is this possible & can it be true that we can be wholesome through & through? The answer lies in the very next phrase — By this we may KNOW that we are IN HIM. What this means is that for Christians, there exists a singular oneness with HIM — In Him means nothing less than Christ being indwelt of all the believers in Christ. This is in parallel with the phrase “The Love of God is Perfected.” The machinery that enables Christians to exhibit love that is perfected comes through the 2nd Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. In Him, all the Love exudes from His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, into the very hearts of believers.
Furthermore, the word — Keep & Know — are pairs that are intertwined together; to keep His Word means to Know Him. Thus, in this sense of the word ‘to keep’ refers not simply to obedience but also “to have & to hold” — akin to a marriage vow —
“I [ man ] take you [ woman ] as my wife to have & to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness & in fleshhealth to love & to cherish until death do us part.”
This phrase means obedience — faithful, loving obendience. Yet at the same time a loving obedience that exudes from his heart that has been captured by the woman he loves. In this manner, to keep means, in essence, to take possession. And in relationship with Christ, this interplay between the Bride of Christ, the Church, & the Groom, who is the Christ becomes realized.
In relationship with Christ, we do not become overly enamored with the outer flesh that remains with us nor are overly enamored with our inner flesh. Rather, we recognize transformation & regeneration of both our outer bodies & of our inner self because we have taken possession of Christ & Christ has taken possession over us. We no longer live for ourselves unto ourselves alone for our own glory. Now, In Christ Jesus, we live for Him as He lives in us unto His glory & excellence!
