1.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
Youth Ministry
Object Lesson
- God’s Word –
a Mirror for
Reflection
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

2.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
James tells us God’s Word is like
a mirror (James 1:22-25).
Mirrors allow us to see
ourselves and to make changes
based upon what we see.
Unfortunately, many youth not
only have a hard time seeing
themselves in Scripture, but
they also see themselves in a
lot of other mirrors which may
distort the image they see
when they are already
struggling to discover who they
really are.
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

3.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
What to do
Discussion
1. Ask: What are the
characteristics of a mirror?
2. You can divide the youth into
groups and have a competition
between teams to make the
biggest list of characteristics and
uses of mirrors, or simply ask
the question and write all the
answers on a whiteboard or
newsprint/ flipcharts.
3. Then read James 1:22-25 and
ask the youth to highlight ways
the Bible is like a mirror using
the list they have already
created.
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

4.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
Take it to the Next Level
Make it Spiritual
Here are some thoughts of
characteristics and uses of a
mirror applied….
• We look into the mirror to see
how we look and make
changes – No one looks into a
mirror, sees something he
needs to change and then just
forgets about it.
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

5.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
• The better the mirror, the
better the reflection. A
poor quality mirror often
introduces distortions. We
must be aware of looking at
ourselves through the eyes
of others, what we have, or
titles and positions, but
must instead see ourselves
as God sees us. Look into
the perfect Word instead of
the polluted world.
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

6.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
• Reflective – God’s Word reflects
his personality, reflects his
attributes, attitudes, and
desires. It also shows us how
God sees us.
• Introspective – Through reading
God’s Word, we see Him and we
see ourselves and the areas of
our lives where we don’t
measure up to God’s standards
• The mirror isn’t the light, but
only reflects it – We are not to
worship God’s word, but the
God that it reveals to us. God’s
Word reveals the Light to us: a.
Christ the light of the world; b.
personal enlightenment
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

7.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
• Shows the outside, not the
inside – In contrast, God’s
Word and commandments
are not for the purpose of
making external changes, but
internal changes – heart
changes.
• Reflects the sun (son) or light
– God’s Word reflects Christ
the Son
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

8.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
• Able to see yourself as others
do – Through God’s Word, we
discover what God sees in us
and what others also see in us
• If we focus too much we often
lose sight of the overall
picture – We need to look at
the Bible as a whole, not
pulling scriptures out of
context, and not getting
caught up in petty issues, but
keeping a balanced Christian
life
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

9.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
• Can get dirty/ collect dust if
not used – Many of our Bibles
collect dust throughout the
week and our knowledge of
God’s Word is forgotten
• A magnifying mirror is clear in
the center and fuzzy and
distorted on the edges. – We
must have our lives centered
upon God’s word. When we
are away from it others won’t
see us as clear reflections of
Christ, but they will get a fuzzy
image of Christianity.
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

10.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
• Looking in carnival mirrors give
you a distorted image of
yourself. – Unless we are
looking into the true mirror,
God’s Word, we will get a
distorted image of ourselves.
Also beware of preachers who
make you laugh, but never
really give you God’s Word or
have application to their
sermons. They may just be
carnival mirror preachers!
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

11.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
• A mirror can break – Although
a mirror can break, God’s
word will stand forever.
• The only thing you usually get
from a shattered mirror is a
cut hand! – Often, when we
have shattered families, or
other aspects of our lives are
shattered, we get wounded
because we use these things
as our mirrors instead of
God’s Word.
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

12.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
• You can’t see much in a small
mirror – In the same way,
you can’t see yourself or God
very much in a few Bible
verses, but the more of God’s
Word you look into, the
better you see yourself and
God
• Usually when we look in the
mirror, we only see the
obvious things – Often when
we read God’s word the
things that are most obvious
are what we realize. Later
when we read these again,
other things will be made
evident to us by the Holy
Spirit.
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

13.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
• There are different types of
mirrors for different purposes
(Periscopes, Rearview mirrors,
etc.) - Different verses in
God’s word reveal mistakes
that are already behind us,
and those that are possible in
the future
• Obstacles in the way of a
mirror block out parts of the
picture – Obstacles in our
lives prevent us from see the
whole picture as God sees it.
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

14.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
• The further you get from a
mirror the less detail you see,
the closer you get, the more
detail you see. – This is the
same effect as getting close or
farther from God’s Word.
• Quick glances into the mirror
don’t help much. – To really see
what needs work, you must
spend time in God’s word,
focusing and concentrating. A
quick reading through the word
rarely does us much good.
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

15.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
• Sometimes it is necessary to
look from a different angle to
get a better perspective. It is the
same with God’s Word. Try
approaching scripture from a
variety of vantage points.
• No one ever looks in a mirror
just to see the glass – We look
into the Bible not to see the
Bible, but to see God and
ourselves
Have more ideas to share, please
email me as I’d love to hear what
your groups come up with! Share in
the comments.
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

16.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
Make it Practical
What are some of the things we
learn about ourselves from the
Bible?
Make it Personal
How should we respond based on
the reflection we see?
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

17.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
Scripture
“Do not merely listen to the word,
and so deceive yourselves. Do what it
says. Anyone who listens to the word
but does not do what it says is like
someone who looks at his face in a
mirror and, after looking at himself,
goes away and immediately forgets
what he looks like. But whoever looks
intently into the perfect law that gives
freedom, and continues in it—not
forgetting what they have heard, but
doing it—they will be blessed in what
they do.” – James 1:22-25
www.CreativeObjectLessons.com

18.
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
Creative Object Lessons
MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you
need to know when planning your very own
object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed
object lesson ideas and another 200 object
lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms
and Names / Descriptions of God.
Learn More…
www.creativeobjectlessons.com