I See His Face

This piece was featured as part of the Lent Devotional series for True and Noble.

Mary Magdalene was the first person to see Jesus after He was resurrected from the dead. And Mary knew Jesus. She followed Jesus. She worshipped Jesus.  And yet, on this day when she encountered the resurrected Lord on the road, she didn’t know it was Him. The scriptures tell us that Mary Magdalene was surprised. “She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize Him” John 20:14. She was shocked and surprised by this encounter. It was unexpected. She knew and loved Jesus and then suddenly, in a moment, she saw Him more fully. 

I can so relate to Mary. I too, am looking for Jesus. I expect Him to show up in a way that I will surely recognize it is Him. But, I’ve come to understand that I cannot predict or even prepare for His next move. He has proven to be different and better than I could imagine.

I so clearly remember the moment I saw Jesus more fully. I was walking through a season of grief and was searching for answers. I was grasping to find hope. I emptied myself out and let my lips speak the words of the letters I had written on the steps of my soul. As I poured out this offering, Jesus met me there. I released to Him my unborn baby and all the hopes I had held in my mother heart. With my eyes closed, it was as if a movie was being played just for me to see. The scene began to unfold and this is what I saw. Jesus was standing next to me. With tear filled eyes I handed over my precious child into His arms. When I looked at Jesus’ face, I noticed that His eyes looked just like mine. Eyes filled with tears that poured over onto His cheeks. Jesus wept with me. He was with me in my suffering. I was not alone. His presence brought me peace and surprisingly, hope began to break through the fallow ground of my heart. 

I saw His face and I will never be the same.