the face of God

"To love another person is to see the face of God." - Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

The second time i saw Les Misérables, one of the very last lines of the movie caught my attention and played over and over in my head through the final scene. i sent it to a friend who was in the same movie at another theater and she replied, shocked, saying it was in her head too. Later we talked about it and i knew God had used it and her to send me a simple message: Love like Jesus. Do this and people will get a glimpse into your soul, and there they will see God.

God loves to call us representatives, chosen and appointed to bear fruit for Christ (John 15:16). The way to do this is by loving deeply and completely. Jesus wept with his people and shared in their joy, and this is exactly what we are called to do as well. i've heard that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care and while that may sound cliché i believe it's true! Jesus didn't preach from afar and keep his hands clean; He showed how much He cared by making relationships. He had a genuine longing for people to live forever with Him, and we should imitate this attitude.

i received a package today from a friend who stayed at Trail West, a Young Life family camp where i grew up going and served on the Work Crew. He did it just because he knew how much i love Trail West and how happy i would be. i bet he didn't think that by letting me share in that joy i would see God's face through him, but i do.