With Love Written on Their Faces

It’s Monday afternoon and I head into a local bistro thinking I was going to get some “creative work” done.

The table I wanted was annoyingly occupied, so I settled for the over sized leather chair in the back. And in hindsight, it couldn’t have been a more perfect decision.

This view lended itself to some easy people watching. So while I waited on the waitress to come back around and give me the wifi password, I casually observed the room from behind my latte. (I hope it was casual, otherwise I definitely looked like Joe Goldberg from the Netflix series YOU)

Anyway, in one corner there was the husband & wife that looked like they were meeting for a quick lunch date between meetings. Another table housed two female realtors who seemed to be killing the game as they flipped between phone calls and speed typing. And one of the bistro owners scurried around clearing tables while chatting in German to another server. 

But it was the large table across the room that really caught my eye. A group of about 6 or 7 silver haired ladies were chatting quietly, while sipping on tea and clinking silver spoons into hot bowls of Goulash.

I couldn’t quite tell what they were talking about but I quickly had them pegged as Believers, and I wasn’t sure why. They didn’t have Bibles open on the table or sparkling cross jewelry around their necks to give me a clue, but there was just something about them.

Maybe it was the kind smiles they showed to the waitress as she refilled their cups. 

Or maybe it was the way they all leaned in close when the shorter one of the group started sharing a story that had her voice wavering. 

Or the moment they each took turns offering an affirming word or comment when she was done. 

Or, maybe...I had it all wrong and these were women who just had love written on their faces.

Either way, watching their interactions with each other and others in the room had me wondering how well I see the people around me. Or do I too often get short sighted and busy to notice?

When I’m out and about living life, do I have love written on my face?

Would another believer be able to walk in and notice the Jesus connection we shared?

Would an unbeliever be able to recognize a safe spot in the way I spoke and smiled and moved?

I don’t need to talk people into Jesus. 

I think that if we just lived our lives open and honoring to Him, and took the time to really see others, they’d have a Jesus encounter all on their own. 

I’m pretty sure He is big enough for that. 

Seeing people can be as simple as a quick smile and looking the overwhelmed cashier in the eye.

It’s shooting off a text to that friend that keeps coming to mind, or remembering to follow up with the new mama who was suffering from postpartum depression.

Seeing people is asking “Hey, how are you?”, and then (really important here) making sure you leave room for the response. 

It’s showing up in hospital rooms and hard conversations and broken spaces. It’s checking in on that weary friend, or buying coffee for the frazzled stranger behind you in line.

Seeing people can sometimes look complicated, but a lot of times, it can actually be really simple. I just wonder if we’re paying attention to all the opportunities we have. Opportunities to be intentional with kindness.

As I finished my second cup of coffee, I watched as the silver haired ladies grabbed hands and listened in as they prayed over each other’s children and more before saying their goodbyes.

Looks like I was right after all.