Which Face Are You Wearing?

Dr. Henrietta Mears wrote that everyone has four faces--

1) The one the world knows

2) The one our friends know

3) The one we know ourselves

4) The one God knows

 

Lent is a period of penitence and fasting observed on the forty weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter in Christian churches. For some, it offers time for additional reflection into our personal and spiritual selves....as we consider who we really are.

We each have times when we are over-whelmed, exhausted, mistreated or feel we are living without purpose--nothing is happening or too much is happening.  What difference does it make?  Sometimes, we adorn masks, a facade, so nobody knows who we really are or how we are really feeling. We can kid others; we can even fool ourselves.

But God always knows.

We are often troubled, but not crushed;

sometimes in doubt, but never in despair;

there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend;

and though badly hurt at times,

we are not destroyed.

At all times we carry in our mortal bodies

the death of Jesus,

so that his life may also be seen in our bodies.

2 Corinthians 4: 8-10

With God, there is always hope.

We are always being made new because of Jesus, the Christ.

***

Leo Buscaglia wrote. . .

     Starting each day I promise myself not to try to solve all my life's problems all at once . . .

     Starting each day I will try to learn something new about me and about you so that I may continue to experience all things as if they had just been newly born.

     Starting each day I shall listen to you and try to see your point of view and to discover the least threatening way to offer you mine, remembering that wherever we are now we need not be there tomorrow.

     Starting each day I shall seek out the beautiful things that fill our world like flowers and blades of grass and dew drops on leaves, and people, and faces, and share my new-found beauty with you.

     Starting each day I shall reach out and touch you gently with my mind, my eyes, and with my hands, for I don't want to miss you.

***

 

 

Everyone has four faces--

1) The one the world knows

2) The one our friends know

3) The one we know ourselves

4) The one God knows...

... and isn't it wonderful that..

 

...And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18

 

 

What I Learned in Hawaii...

We recently visited Hawaii, and it was more beautiful than I had imagined. The canyons, active volcano, lava beds, and Hawaiian people were each a learning experience. Did you know they are among the most remote islands in the world? ... and everywhere, we were reminded of the sea.

Prevalent animals included wild and multi colored chickens, boar, mongoose, brown goats, deer, and sea turtles.

The beaches were covered with brown, red, white, or black sand--depending on the location. On many beaches, it was not safe to swim because of the rocks, humongous waves, or current. But where it was safe, what glory I felt to be in an aquamarine sea--a part of the waves and sky above.

I had heard that prices in Hawaii were outrageous. We did not find this to be true. I could get a yogurt at the hotel breakfast bar for $5 or I could go across the street to the ABC store and buy the same brand/size yogurt for a little over $1. I had "catch of the day spearfish" with mashed potatoes and a garden salad in a seaside restaurant for $22.

There were homeless people. Some had little nests established near the ocean surrounded by lava rocks. Sleeping bags covered the ground; piles of decorated rocks created their walls.

The native Hawaiian families came from various Polynesian islands many, many years ago. They seem to be hard-working, friendly, family oriented, and wanting to keep their history intact. We attended several Luas, enjoyed their native food, and were entertained by dancers and stories of days past.

Almost everything in Hawaii is brought to Hawaii from other countries or the United States. Pineapple and sugarcane are no longer grown there. Tourism is their primary industry, followed by the military on most islands.

SPAM is big in Hawaii. We found it in abundance in a variety of flavors in supermarket stores. A family can feed themselves a meat dish with a can of Spam for $1.99.

No shirt, no food, no service doesn't apply in Hawaii... We attended a Congregational church on Sunday morning, just a block from seaside.... some didn't wear shoes although dressed in skirts, blouses, or nice shirts and long pants. We worshiped with Christians from Hawaii and from other places in the world to praise our Almighty God, the Creator of all Creation.

For the LORD is the great God,

the great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth,

and the mountain peaks belong to him.

The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

Psalm 95

Different? How so.....

  

What do a homeless person from the streets of Fort Worth and an upscale art dealer have in common? Like non-fiction? I recommend the book, Same Kind of Different as Me.
If you want to change your life, go out and meet someone new. Get outside that tiny box, called self, you've been hibernating in and move. Move towards the one who needs someone like you to be a part of his or her life.

Scary? Perhaps.

Easy? Probably not.

Why? Why not?

Through the encouragement of his wife, Ron Hall, steps outside his comfort zone in the world of art, and starts feeding the homeless in inner city Fort Worth. He meets a homeless man, Denver, and his world evolves in ways he could never have imagined.

A book editor once told me that I seem to want to write about the "messiness" of life. Well, think about it. It's out there. All over, wherever we go. We See In a Mirror Dimly is about mental illness. The Secret Is is about poverty and learning disabilities. All the Rivers Run Into the Sea is about dysfunctional relationships,Thou Shalt Not is about murder and more. Do Not Be Deceived is about family abuse and poverty.

The Same Kind of Different as Me, caused me to think about those who are often neglected and even scorned because of poverty and the unknown reasons they arrived at this state in their lives. It caused me to think about death, why we are here, and how I may go forward in my own life in a more purposeful way.

Different? We each are capable of hate, fear, frustration, disappointment, and, yes, even, love. We all yearn for something greater than ourselves, a place where there is no hate, fear, frustration, disappointment. A place where there is only love. Are we really so different from each other?

In spite of the trials in your own live, choose to love God.
Choose to love your fellow man.

 

He is the God of mighty angels.

He is a friend of mine.