Who Can See the Face of God?

Lately I’ve been entertained by a Facebook group called “Things with Faces.” Participants post photos of ordinary objects or structures that have the appearance of faces — for example, misshapen vegetables, wood grain, buildings, coffee foam, garden tools, toast, or cooking implements. It’s amusing and also likely says something about our inclination to see our human likeness in the world around us. Once you become attuned to seeing faces in your environment, they start showing up everywhere!

We also can become attuned to seeing the face of Christ in the world around us — we just have to learn to recognize it in the joy of a toddler at play, the compassion of disaster relief workers, the tenderness of a mother giving her infant a bath, the generosity of trees that share nutrients with their neighbors,  the healing touch of physicians and nurses, the exuberance of guests dancing at a wedding, the life-giving rain that quenches our thirst, and the patience of friends who truly listen to one another.

Jesus said, “I will be with you always.” Doesn’t it make sense that he would choose to become immersed in the world so we will always be able to recognize his presence around us? If you look for the face of Christ with trust and confidence, you too will start seeing it everywhere. Who can see the face of God and live? Thanks to the coming of Emmanuel and the ministrations of that divine oculist, the Holy Spirit, all of us can see the face of God and not only live but thrive with the companionship of Christ who is always with us.