Faces {&a divine appointment}

"In my present situation, now that I am about to leave this world, I realize there is nothing more astonishing than a human face."
--Marilynne Robinson, Gilead

"If you don't find God in the next person you meet, it is a waste of time looking for him further."
--Mohandas K. Gandhi

"People are hungry for God.
People are hungry for love.
Are you aware of that?
Do you know that? Do you see that?
Do you have eyes to see?
Quite often we look but we don't see.
We are all passing through this world.
We need to open our eyes and see."
--Mother Teresa

Last night as I left the gym, I ran into my friend Arturo, a really passionate guy who feels deeply about all things of life, especially love for Christ and love for people and the way they are inseparable. A few facts about this friend: he practically grew up on the street, he is co-pastoring a church at the age of 25, he hates the "system" and religion, but loves Jesus, is an aspiring playwright and wants to start a day ministry, a couple hours each day, for high school students who don't have a loving place to go and don't have enough food. Sometimes he wants to leave Guanajuato, but sometimes he feels like there is so much more work to be done here. He loves jazz music and Russian novels and his heart is on fire.

We were both desperately in need of a good, long conversation, so we talked. In English, in Spanish. There on the bench as night came over the city and street lights flickered on, fewer and fewer people walking by with each passing minute. Our conversation turned from talk about suffering and God's hidden qualities and the way he strengthens us beyond our own capability to the way that loving people IS loving God. Loving Jesus. "Soy muy apasionado por este tema," Arturo told me with a new light in his eyes. "I'm very passionate about this subject." Arturo, as always, whipped out his computer in order to start searching for and getting to the bottom of Bible verses--last night, those that have to do with the inseparability of love for God and for human souls. How He breaks/softens/molds our hearts and gives us eyes to see and love those around us--our families and neighbors, those at the ends of the earth. We desire it and delight in loving others truly and deeply when Christ comes into our lives and we treasure Him above all else. We want to listen to them and to spend time with them and to share life with them. It is He who lives in us and gives us the abiltiy to love, and He whom we are loving as we love others. I love that so much.

God is to be found and loved in every soul.



Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
--Psalm 34:8