Face-to-Face
The year is 1968. My workplace in Dallas is having its employees’ Christmas’ family night. The 18-month-old boy here is Ryan, my son. Notice the Nehru suit along with the Beatles’ haircut. Also, notice the look on my boy’s face – he wasn’t at all impressed with the Santa who was giving out Christmas stockings.
Obviously, we were caught up in those guys from Liverpool, England, who made their U.S. debut on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. We joined the 73 million people gathered in front of their TV sets to see the Beatles’ first live performance on U.S. soil. That number reflected 23,240,000 American homes. Wow!
All that nostalgia consumed us when we attended the 60-years since “Beatlemania” began in the U.S. The Classical Mystery Tour (four men who sang, dressed, and played their instruments like the Beatles) were accompanied by the Austin Symphony Orchestra. We were immersed in many of their timeless hits. They gave us a full-blown experience of many of the Beatles’ songs.
We listened to “Penny Lane” with a live trumpet section, and savored the beauty of “Yesterday” and “Imagine” by an acoustic guitar and string quartet. It was truly a wonderful, memory-filled night.
This blog was borne when I heard the announcer ask the audience: “What question was NOT asked of the Beatles?” He answered his own question. “They weren’t asked: “What is your website’s address?” “What is your name on Facebook?” He went on. “They regularly met “face-to-face” in the living area of their home and other places where they practiced and practiced.”
Face-to-face. How long has it been since you sat face-to-face with a friend, a loved one, a stranger – and simply looked into their eyes with intentional, undivided attention?
We email. We blog. We text-message. We talk on the phone. We convince ourselves that as long as we can write well, we are good at communicating. Perhaps in some ways even better, since we’re not distracted by the person’s physical presence.
And we are wrong. We are fooling ourselves into thinking that texting is even half as effective as face-to-face communicating a message. Body language, facial expression, and tone of voice in face-to-face conversations is underrated. Face-to-face with others helps us to truly know someone, experience real communication and keeps us from misinterpreting what they are saying.
Just think about how a baby responds to facial expressions of his parents. We make all kinds of silly faces and express ourselves with love and humor and joy. That precious baby responds with laughing or cooing and feels loved.
Of course, we’re adults, and not babies, but we are still moved with sincerity and genuine care and concern as, face-to-face, we look eye-to-eye with God’s love. I was able to do that with a co-worker at the election polls this week.
Face-to-face, eye-to-eye, we encouraged each other, embraced each other with hugs and appreciation. For two weeks, working at the early voting, we connected. The very fact that we’ve had the chance to see and hear someone right in front of us goes a long way toward feeling REALLY loved and appreciated.
Best. News. Ever. One day we will see Jesus face-to-face. That truth is deposited deep in our hearts when we seek His face. It is articulated beautifully by the Apostle Paul, who says that “In this life we see through a glass, darkly. But someday, we shall know as we are known and shall see God “face to face”! (1 Corinthians 13:12) How we long for that day, when we come face to face with our Savior and Lord!