What Others See

I got such a kick out of reading your comments yesterday. Felt like returning home after being gone all day only to find pieces of paper taped all over my front door. “Was in the neighborhood, thought I’d stop by.”

I’ve known some of you for years. Several clear across the country. We’ve served in ministry together, sat over coffee or hiked the base of Mt. Rainer. Seeing each of your names not only made me smile but made me thankful all over again for friends God has blessed me with over the years. Please keep coming back. Makes a girl feel mighty special.

I knew I needed to let friends know about my blog. Also hadn’t written an update on my life forever. So, figured it was the perfect time to do so. This morning, just as I was about to compose today’s blog, I decided to take a quick glance in my inbox. One response from an old friend I haven’t seen since moving across country deeply touched me. So much, I decided to change directions from what I’d planned on sharing this morning. That’s why I’m posting this a little later than what I normally will (at least I think I normally will).

She wrote:

“Gayle DeSalles, how wonderful to hear from you! So glad to hear that things are going great for you. I have noticed that you prosper wherever you are and in whatever circumstance! Praise the Lord!”

Now that’s one of the kindest, most encouraging things anyone has said to me . . . ever. But lest you think it is me I want to call attention to here, notice how she completes her thought: “Praise the Lord.” She doesn’t say, “Way to go, Gayle. Aren’t you just the cat’s meow?” No, it is God my friend compliments. It is to Him she offers her gratitude.

Yet in doing so, I’m encouraged. Strengthened. I want you to understand why so that you may be encouraged, too. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ and desire to walk with Him each day, people are thinking this about you, too! Doesn’t matter if you “feel like” you’re a good testimony. In fact, you might be going through one of the toughest times in your life. You may not even be handling a situation as well as you think you should. But if you are focused on Christ and wanting to love Him more today than yesterday, folks are noticing.

Yea, well how do you know, Gayle?

Glad you asked.

Those of you who’ve known me any length of time know that Exodus 34:29-30 is one of my favorite portions in all of Scripture. Not a week has gone by probably in the last decade where I’m not comforted by these words at least once. At first glance, these two sentence might not appear as a powerful promise, but oh, how they are!

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because He had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.”

Why was Moses’ face radiant? He’d just spent forty days and forty nights in close fellowship with the Lord. But did Moses know his face was shining? Nope! But everybody knew it!

What this says to me is this, and herein lays the promise: If I spend time with the Lord each day, reading His Word and in prayer, my face will shine too. My countenance, my heart, my mind will reflect Jesus Christ to one degree or another. Doesn’t matter that I might feel lousy physically or emotionally. I could have the weight of the world on my shoulders. I may walk into work or church or a friend’s home, eyes red because I’ve just been crying. I may feel like a wreck. I may be a wreck. I’m not saying my countenance will necessarily be cheerful or happy. That’s not the promise. The promise is my face will look like I’ve been with Christ. I will be joyful and the joy of the Lord will be my strength.

What touched me about my friend’s comment is that it came in response to sharing some of the trials and challenges I’m presently going through. When I wrote my letter, I hoped my friends and family would see I was telling the truth. When I said I was doing well, I meant it. But I didn’t want to give the impression that everything was great! Still, I didn’t know how it would come across. But see? Just like Moses. Though I can’t see what my friend sees in me, I believe it. Not because she said it as encouraging as her words, but God Himself says it. And not only here, but in a thousand different ways throughout His Word. I know the Holy Spirit is in me. And I know God is always working. That’s a promise, too.

Today if you see a brother or sister in Christ who appears particularly radiant, tell ‘em! You have no idea what’s going on in his/her life. He may be hanging on by a thread, she may feel God is distant and far away. Still, they keep trusting and praying and spending time in God’s Word. Tell them you notice. Tell them you see Jesus in their eyes. You’ll give them a gift they’ll open up again and again — not just today, but probably for a long, long time. And to you my sweet friend who prompted this entry today, God bless you richly for your kindness.

“Blessed is the man . . . [whose] delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
(Psalm 1:1-3)