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 with three
grown daughters and two sons-in-law, and is the Director of Connecting at
Oakwood Church.
