Mirror Finish
Plymouth’s new design for 1940 came with a lot more sheetmetal than the previous year’s smaller model. But the biggest change happened under the hood. Plymouth’s new Superfinish gave certain internal engine parts mirror-smooth surfaces for reduced friction and wear. The 4-main-bearing Plymouth Six displaced 201.3 cubic inches, good for 84 hp at 3600 rpm (or what Ford’s V8 was making 10 years prior). Horsepower was up to 87 by 1941, and in 1942 it was bored out to 217.3 cubic inches to develop 95 horsepower.
Yet a high specific output wasn’t the goal of that mirror finishing. It was smoothness.
Mirroring Christ wasn’t something Jesus explicitly talked about, but something the epistles were littered with. When Peter (the disciple-turned-apostle) began his epistle, mirroring Jesus was the theme. This chapter is profound, in its practical help for believers facing any kind of difficulty and in its revelation (and simple explanation) of unfathomably deep spiritual matters.
For mirror-image purposes, here’s what you need to know: Peter acknowledges the difficulty believers sometimes, or frequently, face. He connects it to the suffering of Christ and the purposes (both practical and mystical) to his suffering and ours. Then he uses an important word: Therefore.
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’ Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb…” (1 Peter 1:13-19)
It is only by intentionally trying to mirror Jesus that humans can stand the friction of interacting with other humans. Jesus never deviated from his divine plan. It was always at the top of his mind, influencing his interactions with some seriously difficult people. It was his north star, guiding his decision-making. It was his hope, easing the temporary difficulties he had to bear during his relatively short life.
Humans don’t have a chance of mirroring Jesus as perfectly as Jesus mirrored his Father, of course, but the intentionality by which a person interacts with people may make it a little more pleasant and a lot more purposeful. Suddenly, conflict becomes compassion, enmity becomes empathy, friction becomes fellowship.
Or, in this somewhat pithy saying attributed to G. K. Chesterton: “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.”
It sure seems that way sometimes. It was definitely that way for Jesus. Because of his faithfulness by which he suffered at the hands of these enemies, believers receive purification from the friction between difficult people. And, crucially, believers receive purification *for* the friction. Believers become ready for it. After being purified “by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply from the heart.” (v. 22) Because, in case you missed it the first several times, “you have been born again.” (v. 23)
One thing most people can agree on is that most people don’t agree on much. The next time you find yourself in conflict with someone, read 1 Peter 1. Better yet, read it with them. Ask your pastor/priest/minister/spiritual leader to join you. Look for ways to mirror Jesus through your conflict, and ask God to prepare you both for more mirroring and less friction.
Plymouth finally introduced a Chrysler V8 into its lineup in the booming 1950s. Those post-war Plymouths were fine cars that sold in reasonably good numbers, but general consensus says Plymouth’s solid construction and refinement of the 1940s and earlier didn’t carry over into the new decade. Something was missing, perhaps. Maybe the engine internals were working with too much friction.
