The Look of Love
By Elizabeth Cole
“When
Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their
sick.”
Matthew
13:14
I
once heard an extremely engaging speaker tell our church’s Moms Nurturing Moms
group a story about her face. She said that when she was a young woman, she had
inadvertently glanced in a mirror as she passed by, and was utterly shocked by
the scowl that reflected back. It so startled her that she had to sit down and
give thought to it. Considering herself to be an inviting personality, she was
saddened as she realized that this was the face her children and husband saw
most…and it wasn’t even an accurate portrayal of her feelings toward them! What
was simply “deep in thought” came across as frustration and irritation. At that
point in her life, she decided to purposefully guard her facial expressions and
conscientiously look her family members in the eye and smile…every day.
I’m
grateful for her decision. All my conscious memories of my precious mom are after she’d made that choice!
There’s something
about a look that conveys so much, isn’t there? A furrowed brow, the lack of
eye contact, a disapproving wrinkling of the eyes, the downturned mouth. Or
consider the opposite: a gentle glance, a warm gaze, a tender smile. I can’t
help but think that Jesus must’ve had that kind of face as He walked among the
crowds of broken people. What kind of approachable look did He have that would
cause little children to run to Him, lepers to approach Him, an outcast woman
to touch His cloak, or crowds to follow Him to a remote place in search of
healing? Surely His face conveyed His compassion, and His availability.
I’m challenged today to reflect my Savior’s love and
availability in the way I look at…and to…others.
GOING DEEPER:
1.
Take a glance in the mirror. How can you intentionally convey compassion
without words?
2.
How will you create enough margin in your life to authentically communicate
availability?
FURTHER READING:
Elizabeth
is a wife and mother of three grown daughters. She is the Director of
Connecting and of We Women at Oakwood Church.
