Whispering Winds Blog

Floey, who will turn one on January 24, barks ferociously every time she sees her reflection – whether it’s in a mirror, in a window at night, in the shiny black refrigerator door, or in the oven window. She sees that same dog everywhere! She knows there’s a dog on the other side of that “window” and she wants her to come forward and either fight or play, or else turn around and run away. Floey just doesn’t understand why that dog doesn’t respond to her appropriately.

I’ve re-written some of the words of the song “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?” for her.

How mean is that doggie in the mirror?
The one that keeps following me.
How mean is that doggie in the mirror?
I wish that my friend she would be.

I’m a little surprised that Floey hasn’t figured out yet that the dog in the reflection is not going to respond to her. She keeps barking, and watching patiently for a response.

As I was thinking about what Floey must be thinking, I also thought about a devotional I wrote last week for a Lenten booklet that our church publishes every year. The Bible passage I was assigned to reflect on was Romans 15:5-6. Although I referred to the New Revised Standard Version in my devotional, I really like the language used in The Message:

May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir – not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!  [Romans 15:5-6 MSG]

Putting those two thoughts together – Floey barking at her reflection and the Bible telling us to get along with each other – I thought about what my reflection is like, everywhere it’s seen. Do I reflect the image of a person who wants to get along with others so that together we can praise God?

Maybe, like Floey, I should think about that image I keep seeing in the mirror and on other shiny surfaces. What kind of image do I reflect to myself and to others? I decided to write another version of the doggie song for myself.

How kind is that person in the mirror?
The one that I see every day.
How kind is that person in the mirror?
I wish she would take time to play.

I thought a lot about what the last word should be. I debated between play and pray. Maybe I’ll sing the song both ways, depending on the reflection of myself I see that day.