"Therefore, my beloved brothers, you be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, since you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Cor. 15:58)
Sometimes when I am angry I say to myself, "why did I have this unrealistic expectation and expend this considerable effort.?" I ask the question because I think my efforts have been wasted on ignorant, idiotic, or incompetent people whose infirmities should have kept me from getting involved in the first place. Later by Grace, I am compelled to look in the mirror and say, "How many times has God my Father had cause to say about me what I have said about others?". The difference is that God is right!
Why I end up in this mirror conversation is simple. My expectations are unrealistic because they're mine and based more on what I think I can do instead of what God intends. As to efforts, they are expended based on a preference to control the outcome instead of waiting for God to work.
Use mirrors, of every kind, for more than self-admiration. "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." (Proverbs 11:2).
