by Vanessa Smith
It all began with my daughter’s plea for a dog – a small, cute dog that was no longer available from AWS. Is this story sounding familiar? Enrolled on AWS alerts – another dog appeared – with eyes that melted my heart – specifically with the caption informing me that she is young, but on the list to “exit” the shelter as no-one else had seen what I did in those eyes. You guessed it – September 2025 Maggie-May became part of our already chaotic household.
The plea for the dog was accompanied by solemn promises of frequent dog walks, grooming, care etc. The reality is that Maggie spends hours amusing herself – flinging her soft toys into the air and then chasing/catching them. Fast forward – June 2026 – I received a “stressed-Erica” message from said daughter, informing me that our much loved, less walked Collie exhibited a case of the zoomies whilst she was teaching Maths online. In so doing Maggie zoomed across a loose rug. Loose rug + polished floor + zooming dog = collision and toppled, smashed floor-standing mirror. The dog literally smashed it – with no rewind button on this one.
First thoughts? How was I going to complete my hurried morning routine without checking that at least my socks matched and my hair not tousled? It took me a day to make peace with the fact that my mirror was no longer a mirror – but possibly a large mosaic piece. To free the mosaic pieces, I had to open the backing frame and found that the back of the mirror had been ingeniously box taped in an X-shape – to prevent such incident from allowing the shattered pieces falling out and injuring the zooming dog (or child). Examining the knife sharp pieces, I felt so grateful for the foresight of whoever had added this simple safety measure. This could have ended so differently!
Slowly picking up the pieces I reflected – pun intended 😊. I began to think of the verse in 1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known”.
Long after I picked up the last piece – now destined for mosaic art – I kept thinking. Biblically – the way we see ourselves in a mirror = self-knowledge/self-image. The image we see is distorted – it is not three dimensional. This causes us to misread ourselves. Once the mirror is cracked – all we can see are the cracks. Sin, shame, trauma, comparison to others and to how we think God sees us – these are all the “cracks” we see. We think we are what we do/have done; what others have said or what we lack.
How wrong we are! Our identity should NEVER lie in what we see in the mirror. In the same way that our identity should not lie in our busyness, our job or our appearance. In Genesis 1:27 God tells us that He “created mankind in His own image, in the image of God he created them”. We are who God says we are.
The cracked mirror teaches us that the image is not erased, just obscured. A cracked mirror still reflects. It can still be of use (even if it is as a mosaic piece). In fact, in time that mosaic piece could turn out to be even more beautiful than the piece of glass was. It could be even more interesting in time when combined with other broken pieces of ceramic tile.
In essence – the damage/cracks – do not un-create us. We may see ourselves in pieces, but God sees the whole, unbroken person He made. Brokenness does NOT equal worthlessness. We also don’t know what box tape God put onto the crack to stop the damage from being worse – that part we never fully know in the present.
The world may say if it’s cracked it is worthless, but God specializes in cracks. God meets us in the broken places. God is not afraid of your cracks. God does not hide the cracks, instead He fills them. Your story, scars and all, become part of your testimony, not proof that you are worthless or a failure.
2 Corinthians 12:9 – “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”.
So, what did Maggie leave me with (other than the cost of a replacement mirror)?
- Don’t build identity on a distorted reflection. Your 3am feelings, failures or other peoples’ opinions are cracked mirrors. They don’t have the last word – God does.
- Look to the One who defines you – Christ is our true mirror. We are who He says we are (and I may just be a mosaic – a totally unfinished one).
- The crack does not mean that you are ruined – you are under restoration. Phillipians 1:6 “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion”
We may not fully see ourselves – I certainly know that I don’t. The Bible assures us that we are fully seen, fully known and fully loved by God – cracks and all.
PS. My shattered mirror is now an empty frame, so please excuse me if you see me wearing odd socks. 😊
Love and blessings in Christ,
Vanessa