“Whereas he who gazes.” What is called for here, is something more than what the man does who glances at his natural face in a mirror, goes off, and forgets what he was like (vv. 23-24). You are to gaze, which means prolonged attention, especially as in admiration. What you are to gaze upon, is the self reflected to you as you look into the faultless law of freedom—the law that makes us free, which is the law of love. If the dictates of love be obeyed, then is life a life of liberty; the soul is set free from all the bondage which results from the breaking of any of the enactments of the moral law.

The law of love is a mirror of the ideal. Looking into this mirror, you see your ideal self—the self you would be if you fulfilled the law of love. A mere glance will not do, you must stand and gaze into it and remain in that position until love possesses your whole being and becomes the master-passion of your life, governing all your attitudes and actions. In other words, you are to become habituated to the way of life marked out by love.

If one will gaze into this mirror, with prolonged attention, he will be moved with admiration for the self it reflects to him; it will be a self love-mastered, an active agent of the law of love.

Note the beatitude James pronounces upon the man whose life is love-mastered: “He will be blessed in his activity.”

Experience confirms this beatitude. We know from experience that love turns duty into delight, makes the heaviest task easy, indeed, a joy.

It is a costly thing to love people; you must share, not only their joys and pleasures, but their pains and sorrows. But love does not mind that. The greatest sacrifices are nothing—when the heart loves! The greatest joy we ever experience comes to us in the hours when we do for others those things love prompts us to do—when we give someone else the very best that love can give.

The full and free and happy life is the life lived for love. Go out and live for love, and you will be blessed in all your doing.