LOOKING AT FACES
The
clinic was clicking along as usual, busier than ever and quickly outgrowing our
staff, medication supply and space in the building. I was growing tired of
being ever rushed and crowded, treating what seemed to be just an endless sea
of faces, and I was bordering on downright irritability. Then, by God’s grace
and guidance, I began to notice something in my daily Bible reading. It was not a deeply theological revelation, rather
just something to which I had not paid much attention in the past. The Bible, I
noticed, often mentions Jesus looking
at an individual. He of course saw the masses of people who were pressing in to
Him for healing and teaching and a touch of His robe, but often it is clearly
stated that he looked intently at one
person (Mark 10:21). So I decided one
day that even amidst the chaos, I should stop and look at—really look at-- people’s faces. As a result, I
began to marvel at the beauty that God had etched into each one. For example,
“patient number 52” one day was a grubby faced boy with a toothless grin,
sparkling eyes of mischief and a slightly crooked nose. “Patient number 14” was
a gray haired grandmother of twelve with droopy eyes, freckles all over her
face, sari juice running down her chin and anxiety written deeply into the
lines in her skin. “Patient 76” was a man with a face full of expectation--wide
eyes, a slightly raised forehead sagging with wrinkly weathered skin and a wide
open smile that made me want to dance and laugh. Looking at people in this way made such a
difference in how I approached the day, and in my mind I created a guessing
game of what marvelous creation of God would next walk through my door. I did not stay in that happy state of
reflection and revelation forever, but God would bring me back to it from time
to time. That was one lesson I truly
enjoyed learning.
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