I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille

The other night I was having trouble getting to sleep.... nothing new, really. I turned on the television in the hope I would find something to lull me into a trance and lower my eyelids.

Sunset Boulevard was flickering in black and white from the TV screen. William Holden looked so very young and Gloria Swanson was incandescent as Norma Desmond, a once famous and all but forgotten silent movie star.

The consummate actress she prided herself in speaking with her eyes and facial expressions.... who needed to actually hear your words if you could ACT?

As the years passed, however, no matter how much time she spent on a regimen of facials, the wrinkles began to show.... the pink glow of youth was gone.... her advancing age began to show. And, sad to mention it, her voice was a bit low and more often than not grating on the nerves.

I am not fond of mirrors.... yet I use a magnifying mirror now and again to demolish my unibrow. Recently I noticed I have pores..... big ones! on my nose... on my chin.... on my forehead! And some of them are crowded out by rather unsightly 'old man hairs' that sprout overnight on my chin... some black, some white. Now, where did they come from?

Taking a very close look at your outer self can be a shocking experience. Another challenging experience is to take a close look at your inner self: your spiritual health and resiliency, your practice of prayer, your corporate worship regime, rule of life, dedication to community service, attentiveness to the needs of others.

What you see on close examination may be a wonderful surprise or a rude awakening..... but it will get easier if you make it part of a healthy maintenance routine. You'll get the hang of it with practice.

Unlike Mr. DeMille who, despite gels and camera tricks could still see that Norma's star was tarnished and fallen, God will always see our essential beauty through the lens of unconditional love.