The Face of Christ

My father-in-law often blesses others with an old blessing that goes something like this:

May Jesus Christ who walks on wounded feet,

walk with you on the road.

May Jesus Christ who serves with wounded hands,

stretch out your hands to serve.

May Jesus Christ who loves with a wounded heart,

open your hearts to love.

May you see the face of Christ in everyone you meet

and may everyone you meet see the face of Christ in you.

I love that blessing. It invites me to live with Jesus in a deeper way. He is always loving me and reminding me of His sacrifice. I can partner with Him and love others with His love. I can see Him not only in my life but in the lives of others.

The end of the blessing speaks deeply to me. Do I see the face of Christ in the people I meet? Do I recognize His transforming work in others? Do I notice His love in others? I have so much more to grow in this area. If I can just train my eyes to see His handiwork, how much better off would I be? I would be able to encourage others and reveal God's actions in their lives.

Just as important, do I live a life where others see Jesus in me? How can I walk in such a way that others know that Jesus is walking with me? Can they see Jesus in my eyes? Can they hear Jesus in my words?

It astounds me that Jesus would choose to use me to pour out His love to others. I did not earn that gift, yet Jesus still uses me to love others. How can I be more intentional with my life? How can I be a blessing to others?

Today, I get the privilege of walking and serving out of Jesus’ love. My prayer is that others would see Christ in me as I look for Christ in them.