Barnabas Ministries UK

                                   Rev. E. Anderson

THE MONKEY’S MIRROR

Rev. Ivor Powell

The monkey house in Bellevue Gardens, Manchester was a place of sleepy indolence. The afternoon was hot and sultry and even the visitors seemed tired and dreary. Then a young lady opened her handbag, took out a small mirror, and ostentatiously pushed it into the cage. An old monkey inclined his head to look at the shining object, and within a few seconds came swinging down to the floor. The girl and I watched as he lifted the glass, and we smiled at his comical expression when he saw another monkey returning his stare. Immediately he began to chatter excitedly, and people ran from all directions to seek the cause of the disturbance. Soon we were part of a great crowd watching the irate monkey as he turned a sultry scene into one of fascinating entertainment.

Gazing intently at his own reflection, the monkey became increasingly incensed by the fact that the other animal seemed a persistent mimic. As his anger mounted, it became obvious that he was determined to punish the enemy in the mirror. Holding the glass in his left hand he suddenly lashed out with his right hand only to find that his clutching fingers merely grasped thin air behind the mirror. He appeared to be nonplussed; the other monkey had vanished, yet all the while his cheeky face was still there.

Again and again the indignant animal tried to catch the elusive quarry, but each attempt failed. We laughed when he slowly turned the mirror so that he could see both into it and behind it at the same moment. He was obviously puzzled when he discovered that his tormentor was only in the glass. This necessitated fresh investigations, and he proceeded to tear the coverings from the back of the mirror. It appeared that he expected to and his enemy secreted within the mysterious wrappings which he ruthlessly removed. With meticulous care he completed the task, and stared again into the glass. When he saw the other monkey he became infuriated, and scrambling to the top of the cage he growled angrily, and flinging the annoying glass to the poor, smashed it to pieces. We were sorry that the show had terminated, but it had been grand entertainment. The object of its desire was always before the monkey, yet all the time was just out of reach.

The monkey’s failure reminds us of our own efforts. Sometimes happiness appears to be beyond our reach. We see it before our eyes, and yet each time we try to capture it, the treasure vanishes. We grow increasingly desperate, and desire to grasp the elusive something. We pull things to bits; explore every channel; become irritated by our sense of frustration and failure, and all the while a mocking face seems to laugh at our feeble endeavours. We grow restless and angry; we are determined to succeed; and yet continue to fail. We are driven to desperate expedients, and are prepared to smash and ruin everything. Peace of mind seems to be the most elusive element in the world, when and many give up in despair, preferring die than to live in misery.

Poor man! – so easily thwarted, so quickly upset, so frequently disconsolate and defeated. If he paused awhile he would discover that the horrible specters which torture him have no foundation in fact. What seems to threaten does not really exist at all. The face in the mirror of life is but the reflection of something intensely personal. Life, is indeed a mirror – smile into it, and a smile will come back to you. Scowl at it, and a hideous countenance will arise to mock you: Guard it carefully as a priceless treasure, and it will provide endless enjoyment. Treat it ‘roughly, smash it, and its broken fragments will cut and hurt the hand which does the damage. God has given to us a mirror; our happiness may depend on how we use it.