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 (NIV)
I once heard an extremely
engaging speaker tell our church’s 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.
