The Face of God

by Shelia Gaines

Verse for thought:
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.   John 13:35 (NIV)

“When we love someone, we are really loving God.  Look in wonder at those you love, for they are the face of God.”  These lines are from the movie, The Preacher’s Wife.   The character in the movie did not just wake up one day and have this revelation.  He was a pastor who had gone through a very difficult time and was faced with losing his church.   He was struggling with his faith because many things were happening that made him feel like his work was somehow in vain.  After he prayed, God sent help through an angel.  The troubled pastor did not immediately accept that God was indeed answering his prayers.   An angel in human form was not how he thought the answer would come.  I think this happens with us sometimes.  We think God has not answered us when the answer does not come as we think it should.  Just like the character in the movie, we continue to search desperately for what God had already provided.   By the end of the movie, the pastor realized how much he was taking for granted.  As a matter of fact, he reminded us that sometimes we forget to cherish the ones we love most.

I was reminded of that line from the movie as I watched my grandson sleep.  There is something so pure about how a baby touches you.  You see all goodness and beauty and it draws you in a way that nothing else can. God’s love can do that for you.

Let’s Pray:
Thank you, God for all the love that you have placed in my life.  Thank you for your unconditional love for us.  Help me to model that agape love for those who need it the most and not take a single day for granted.  Amen

Take the next step:
Why not take the opening quote literally?  Take a few minutes today and look in wonder at those you love.   See some of what God’s love has shown you.  If you are not blessed to be able to do that in your own home, take a walk through the mall or sit in any public place and marvel at the beauty of human nature.   No matter what is going on in your life, or what circumstances or difficulties you may be facing, God’s love is all around you.