Corner 1 | The Right Mirror

A human being is a wonder. A spark of the Divine. A miracle of compositions.  But there are so many forces around or inside a human being that pressures, speaks down, belittles, rejects or pushes away.  In the first corner of the Be You Room Jesus will take us into the wonder of a human being and show us how awesome we are!  He wants you to be you!

The first thing we’ve got to do to be fully functional human beings is that we’ve got to risk again by saying “I like me.” We’ve forgotten that we cannot give to anyone anything in this world that we do not have; and, therefore, you must concentrate on getting. You must become the most beautiful, sensitive, wondrous, magical, unique, fantastic person in the world. Not just to stand in front of a mirror and see it for yourself, but to be able to say, “I have all of these things so I can give them away and share them with you.”

Every one of you is something unique and special. Every one of you has something to give that only you can give.  

There are people who have studied perception and sensation who know that everyone sees the world in a unique way. The same tree we don’t observe in the same way. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could share that tree and see it in two thousand different ways? Just the concept sends me in orbit!  

Yet people constantly say - what do I have to offer? You know what you have to offer? A central piece to the crossword puzzle. That unless you assume that responsibility, that picture will never be complete. You have something to weave or paint on that tapestry that is uniquely yours.  

You are wondrous. You are magical. There is only one you. Next time you pass the mirror, look at it and say, “My goodness! There is only one me! You sweet thing!”  

No one has ever been able to find a limit to human potential. You are unlimited in possibilities. The pity in life today is that most of us die before we are truly born. Don’t miss yourself! The people who scream the loudest on their deathbed are people who have never lived.  

It all starts with you. You can’t celebrate anyone else in this world without first celebrating yourself. One of the greatest attributes we have is the marvelous attribute of forgiveness: I forgive you for being less than perfect. I will demand that everyone else become perfect when I become perfect, so you are all safe!  

So, you celebrate yourself and your humanness with joy, wonder, and magic.  You celebrate others. Oh, the joy of my celebrating you. Aren’t you a miracle?  

Here is the reaction of an 85 year old man who had just learned he was going to die:  

“If I had to live my life over again, I would try to make more mistakes. I would try to not be so damn perfect. I would relax more. I would limber up. I would be sillier. I know very few things that I would take quite so seriously. I would be crazier. I would certainly be less hygienic. I’d take more chances. I’d climb more mountains. I’d swim more rivers. I’d watch more sunsets. I’d burn more gasoline. I’d eat more ice cream and fewer beans. I’d have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones. You see, I was one of those people who lived prophylactically, insanely, insensibly, hour after hour, day after day. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have my moments. But, if I had it all over to do, I’d have more of those moments. In fact, I would try to have nothing but wonderful moments side by side. Living the now, not missing the nows. Because that is what life really is: a wonderful series of nows. Not tomorrows. They may never come. Not yesterdays. There’s nothing you can do about it. But, there’s now. Don’t miss it. Everything else is illusion except between what’s happening between you and me now.  

I have been one of those people who never went anywhere without a thermometer, a water bottle, a gargle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had it to do all over again, I’d travel lighter next time.”  

When you have nothing, you have nothing to worry about. Not advocating having nothing, but also not advocating being professional collectors.  

If I had my life to live earlier again, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and I’d stay that way later in the fall. I’d play hookey a lot more. I’d ride more merry go rounds. I’d smell more flowers. I’d hug more children. I’d tell more people that I love them. If I had my life to live over again. But, you see - I don’t.

This wonderful quality of humanness in all its wonder is God’s gift to you, and what you do with it is your gift to God. Don’t satisfy yourself with anything less than offering God the perfect gift of who you are and have a blast doing it.  

Practical application

sit down with your journal and ask God: What were your thoughts, God, about me when you formed me in my mother’s womb? In which ways have you put beauty in me to shine for this generation and for those I love?

Corner 2 | The Wonder of me / The right mirrors.  

There are dozens of mirrors in the Be You-room. Each holds a different image of who we are.  Some are cracked mirrors. Some are inflated ego mirrors.  Some are debasing or distorted. Jesus asks us to tell Him which mirror we think will show us the correct mirror image of ourselves. How do we view ourselves? 

ILLUSIONS 

One time Jesus took me through my life, and showed me an illusion. There was a time when I was in South Korea. They had a poster of me where I was six stories tall. It was an illusion of me as this grand figure. Then I had an image to protect. You know you are not being yourself when you have to protect or defend.  

Then I was standing next to some who were holding up all kinds of mirrors in front of other people.  Each mirror held a measure of an illusion of who those people were.  Some of those illusions were bad--showing troubled images--and some were good--showing inflated images.  

ROMANS 7 TO ROMANS 8 MIRRORS  

Some of the mirrors being held up in front of people were Romans 7 mirrors. Paul said, “I don’t like myself. I don’t like what I do” (Rom. 7:15).  He had many people agree with him and sowing that into the air. He showed me how I saw myself in the Romans 7 mirror, and some close to me did as well.  "He wants to go do good but he's not going to do good.” We have all had that. 

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do." -Romans 7:15 

Then, Jesus leads us to the Romans 8 mirror.  Only God has the true image of how He created you.  As you consider which mirrors you have held up to see yourself, and which others have held up to you, Jesus puts those different mirrors down and removes them.  Then He shows us the correct image of ourselves and helps us to be free in who He made us to be without pretensions. We learn to no longer conform to who others desire us to be. Jesus shows us our wonderful original design by God, and our true self-image in the eyes of God.  

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..." - Romans 8:1 

We have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.  

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. You did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. - Romans 8:1, 12-16 

It is so important to see ourselves clearly and without distortion. Moses is an example of someone who looked at himself through the wrong mirror--he saw a murderer, a stammerer, and many things that God didn't want Moses to see.  Job’s friends also held up the wrong mirror for Job to see himself. They held up a mirror of sin and cursing instead of the mirror of God's righteous one on the earth who would pray and intercede for his loved ones, and all would be put right again. 

In this corner Jesus wants to give you the Romans 8 mirror to see your true image of who you are in Him. He wants you to help you select the mirror and gaze into it instead of whatever false ones you may have been staring at before. 

Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What manner of men were they whom you slew at Tabor?" And they answered, "As you are, so were they; each one resembled the child of a king." - Judges 8:18  

 Jesus has you look into the correct mirror which reflects how wonderful you really are to Him.  There are many things this mirror could correct:  

• They say you are a stressful person, but the mirror says you are mature and composed. 
• They say you are not loving, but the mirror says you are most affectionate. 
• They say you are unloved and unwanted but the mirror says you are wholly loved and desired. 
• They say you are ugly, the mirror says you are beautiful! 
• They say you have no purpose, but the mirror says you have destiny in Christ. 
• They say you will not rebound but the mirror says you will bounce back to a higher place than you were before.  
• They say that you are not desired, and the mirror says “you are all I ever desired”. 
• They say that God is worn out with you, and the mirror says that God has just started with you. 
• They say you are boring and there isn’t much to you, and the mirror says you are full of wonders to be discovered. 
• They say you’ll be lonely, but the mirror says you’ll be nurtured and cared for all the days of your life. 
• They say you’ll never be understood, the mirror says that many will be in tune with who you are and love you. 
• They say you are less than what you think, but the mirror says you are far better than what you know…  

 In this room we learn to celebrate life to its fullest. This means being playful with the One who made us. By simply being ourselves, we experience freedom, joy, and laughter. We meet the Playful God who loves to be with you and enjoy the gift that is your life. 

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah was exhausted. God sent the raven to bring Elijah food, and this allowed him to rest and recover. In this Corner of the Be You Room, Jesus will bring you rest, recovery, and full restoration so you can have a Hopeful View of you! 

PRACTICAL APPLICATION   

Ask Jesus to help you identify what mirrors that you are currently seeing yourself through. Then ask Jesus to show you which mirror He sees you through. 

Here are some other fun activities for you in the Be You Room:  

 - Go on a "coffee date" with Jesus!   

• Think about what you have fun doing, and ask Him to go with you.   
• Be playful with Jesus.   
• Involve Him in the activities that bring you joy.   
• Ask Him to help you be free with Him. 

Corner 3 | The Wonder of Others

The story of the Communications Apprehension Class

He said, “Do you remember your communication apprehension class?”  I said, “Yeah I remember.” I taught at a university. “Do you remember different students and how they were afraid to speak in front of crowds?”  

They were in fear from whatever their upbringings had been. He said, “Do you remember how you purposed and prayed that you would reflect His face?”   

I couldn’t in a secular university speak His name in the same way, but I could reflect Him. I could provoke them. Then, they would come to me afterwards and say, “Where does this come from? It’s just not a traditional motivational speaker, but there’s substance there.” It wasn’t about me. You seek Him in secret, and He rewards you openly. So, I just spoke to them about this face-to-face place with God. 

The wonders of what came out of that class and the other classes that came out along the way! We saw the wonder in each other. I had the class put up something to cover the window. I said, “Now, flip on all the lights or off all the lights.”  

We’d have a little bit of lights so they could see in the room. And then we’d celebrate who each person was as a public speaker and really speak the patriarchal voice of God over them as best we could.  

They’d started to shout at each other, just who they were!  I just saw major transformation in a secular university. I’d call up the Mule Skinner, which was the school newspaper. I’d change my voice and said, “This is the best class there’s ever been. This is Dr. Dan Curtis.  

I want you to go take a picture of it.” He was the head of my department. They would come and take a picture of this class holding each other, and they’d put it on the newspaper, on the front page until I got caught. It’d say, “Best class! Wondrous class!”  

I wanted them to be applauded. I wanted them to have that picture they could look at all their lives of that place, that time where they encountered His face.  

So, there’s this invitation in this Be you room, where He’ll take us into the true knowledge of God and ourselves. “Nearer, nearer” He said to me last night. “I’ll call them into My radiance.” He said, “You can know Me so much more. Don’t’ ignore Me in the day.” He was just shouting. “People will see Me when they come to heaven, but don’t ignore Me in the day. I’m the God in the land of the living. I’m so near. Today I want to walk with you. Today I want to be friends with You. Today I want to enjoy one another.”  When we see the wonder in others, wonder happens!  

Practical application: 

• Who in my nearness need me to see the wonder in them? 
• How can I see the wonder in others in my job, on my school, in my team, in my family? 

Corner 4 | The Wonder of Reformers

The Lord has visited us in many ways and on many occasions through the years regarding a hope reformation that He has in His heart to spread across the globe through His people. This reformation is not primarily about changing structures, but about restructuring our hearts and lives on deeper levels.  

He wants to activate us to be reformers through personal transformation who will then have the spiritual grace to identify and activate other reformers. This is how the Spirit of Divine hope will go viral.  

A beautiful feature of this reformation, so often pictured to us by the Holy Spirit as a "room" in which to enter and dwell, is that it is not about us being conformed to humanly preconceived expectations of what such a reformer ought to be, look like and do, but it simply involves a deeper and broader discovery of who God really is.  

This then leads to Him revealing to each of us, who we are uniquely called to be in Jesus Christ and how Christ wants to manifest His life through each of us in special ways. If God is creative and resourceful enough to make no two snowflakes exactly alike…of the trillions that have ever fallen on the earth throughout world history…how much more has He made the billions of human beings to be uniquely designed? Certainly, we are more valuable to God than snowflakes! 

Reformers reform with God's presence!  

Bob Jones, before he dies, says, “Get into that place where everywhere you go, the water level will go way up. You’ve done so much work and effort. You are going to have more per capita from just getting with Him and letting the water level go way up.”   

God said, “Do not let go of what I gave you. When I give you something at that level, you never let it go.”  

The Lord will begin now to activate and commission many hope reformers. Let us beware to not limit the Holy One of Israel and push all our hopes for the knowledge of the glory of the Lord to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea off to another age!  

He is not just interested in releasing visitations, but He is desirous of having a delightful habitation on earth within and through His people. The children of Israel of Moses’ generation were unwilling to occupy their Promised Land because of unbelief. The Captain of the Lord’s host is visiting the earth once again on the outer rim of our wilderness wanderings to simply take us by the hand and lead us into a substantially more full inheritance in Christ, not only for the age to come, but also for this age. The resurrection power of God’s Spirit for apprehending such promises is already at work in us! 

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)