Heaven Sent and Heaven’s Scent
I have several friends who have recently welcomed new babies into their homes Oh, how they must relate to the Baby Boy born in Bethlehem at this time of the year. I sure did, when my baby girl was born on December 8th. I’ve told each of those friends how much I want to get my hands on their angels. Most of all – to smell their “heaven’s scent”. Don’t you love that smell? After all, that’s where those precious little angels came from, so of course, they still carry the scent of heaven on them. And, how I love kissing those “heavenly” little faces. I just can’t help myself. There is something indescribable in the face of a baby — that subconscious awareness of the heart and face of God.
Don’t you know how astounded Mary must have been to hold her newborn baby and when it came to “heaven’s scent” – that was an understatement. Mark Lowery’s song, “Mary Did You Know” asked the question “Mary did you know that when you kissed your little baby, you kissed the face of God?”
Morgan Weistling, the artist of this amazing painting of Mary and Baby Jesus said: “I started to contemplate the awesome privilege that Mary was given, being able to hold God in her arms, but also keeping in mind that He was still her baby. This cute little child whom she bore was also God in the flesh. And yet, she cuddled and kissed Him, just as all mothers do with their babies. This thought propelled me right into this painting which I wanted to be a very human representation of divinity. My prayer is that the viewer will be struck, as I am, with the amazing way that God chose to send His Son into this world — in pure humility.”
As precious as little babies are, especially Baby Jesus, anyone who carries God’s light within them, also has the “face of God”, and especially those who let that LIGHT shine through them to others. Nothing explains that better than when I saw the incredible volunteers at Operation Care’s Birthday Party for Jesus on December 15th.
Anyone who stops to give a hug or a loving touch to someone that is hurting has the face of God. I believe it’s in the one who serves at a food pantry or homeless shelter or hospital or nursery worker, church leader and caregivers of every kind — anyone who volunteers their time and reaches out and touches someone less fortunate. Those are the ones who are obviously the face of God in our world. Mother Teresa had more wrinkles than anyone I’ve ever seen, but she had more love in her, and had the most beautiful face of God, giving His love as she touched so many.
Especially at this special time of year, isn’t it time, we put on our “Game Face” — our “God Face” that others see Him in us? They recognize “God’s Face” on us. Isn’t it time we lived on purpose to be “His face” to a dying, hurting world and show them LOVE in ACTION — after all, we were all made in HIS IMAGE — and that image is what this world needs so much? Indeed, “To love others, is to see the FACE OF GOD”.