I’ve always been a lover of books. I can get lost in a good book and be transported to another time and place, becoming completely unaware of my current surroundings. One of my favorite authors is Bob Goff. Have you heard of him? When he publishes a new book, I can’t wait to read it.
A few days ago, Bob and his wife, Maria, did a LIVE talk on Instagram. Bob and Maria spoke about the challenges of self-quarantining. They offered encouragement to their listeners. Then Bob said something that stopped me in my tracks. I haven’t been able to get this quote out of my head. Bob said, “Let your THEOLOGY inform your FAITH, and your FAITH inform your FACE.”
Let your THEOLOGY inform your faith, and your FAITH inform your FACE.
Bob Goff
Isn’t that advice amazing? It is so easy to be sad, depressed, anxious, or maybe all three as we all live together-yet apart-during this unprecedented time. COVID-19 has become the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter where you live, how much money you make, or what your faith journey looks like. Some days it feels as if we are all surrounded while walking around with a target on our backs as the dreaded coronavirus locks us in his sights. “Let your THEOLOGY inform your FAITH, and your FAITH inform your FACE.”
How we present ourselves to our corner of the world has a direct impact on those we come in contact with at home, at work, or even at the grocery store. I remember being a student in nursing school. One of my instructors over-emphasized the importance of being aware, as healthcare workers, of the expressions on our face. Why was mastery of this lesson so important? Because the patients we care for, and their families, look for cues in our face to determine if they should be worried or scared during a healthcare crisis. So, my instructor reminded us over and over again to pretend we were holding up a quarter with each eyebrow. As long as our eyebrows stayed up, the quarters stayed in place. But if our eyebrows furrowed, in confusion or worry for our patient, the quarters would fall. We were encouraged to never let those quarters fall when in the presence of a patient.
As parents, we face the same kind of dilemma with our children. How do we present the realities of the world’s uncertainties and challenges while still projecting a face of calm and assurance? “Let your THEOLOGY inform your FAITH, and your FAITH inform you FACE.”
Where we look, what we spend our time gazing at, is where our attention and our emotions go. I have blogged before about a favorite bible teacher, Kristi McLelland, I have learned so much from her in the past couple of years. Kristi says as citizens of this world, we spend much of our time gazing at the world and only glancing at God. But how would our lives be transformed if we spent our lives gazing at God, and only glancing at the world?
As people of faith, we can rest in the fact that we are God’s kids. We can look in the face of our heavenly daddy. He’s not anxious. He’s not nervous or scared about anything that is going on right now. We can be confident that he’s still in charge of the world. He’s holding onto us.
There’s an old hymn that I used to sing in church when I was a little girl. We sang it so often in the little country church that I attended, I memorized the words. This song, entitled “Turn your Eyes upon Jesus”, was written in the early 1900’s by a woman named Helen Howarth Lemmel. The chorus goes like this:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim.
In the light of His glory and grace.
There’s an incredible story in the Bible in II Kings, chapter 6, that wraps all of my ramblings up in a tight, little bow. In this story, the king of Aram (now present-day Syria) was trying to attack and go to war with Israel. But a prophet, Elisha, kept foiling the king’s plans. Every time that king would give a military order, Elisha would let the king of Israel know the plan, and the Aram army would be unsuccessful in their attack.
Finally, exhausted by Elisha’s spoilers and more than a little angry, the king of Aram ordered his troops to proceed to the city of Dothan, where Elisha lived with his servant. The mighty army of horses and chariots arrived in the darkness of night, surrounding the city and Elisha.
In the morning, the servant looked outside and was terrified to see the entire city surrounded by this army of fierce warriors. He ran to tell Elisha they were surrounded. Elisha responded with calm and assurance, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed, asking God to open the servant’s eyes to allow him to see the true reality of what was happening in that moment.
When the servant looked again, he still saw the enemy army. But this time he could also see the enemy army was surrounded by a mighty, heavenly army of horses and chariots of fire.
Does it feel like the walls of fear, or quarantine, or financial concerns are closing in on you? Are you feeling defeated today by an enemy that leaves you feeling trapped, hopeless and surrounded? I challenge you to pray the prayer Elisha prayed. Ask God to open your eyes to allow you to see the true reality of your situation, HIS reality.
There is a song I love to sing called “Surrounded”. Several people have recorded it in recent years. Michael W. Smith is one of these people. I really like his version and will sometimes listen to this song on repeat when I need to be reminded of who I’m really surrounded by. Some of the words go like this:
It may look like I’m surrounded.
But I’m surrounded by you.
This is how I fight my battles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBl84oZxnJ4
Here’s a link to MWS singing “Surrounded”. Have a listen!
The battle you are fighting today isn’t up to you to win. Remember who is really fighting on your behalf. Then, as I heard someone say recently, put on your dancing shoes, because this battle has already been won. Much love, friends.