Face to Face Love

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Numbers 6:24–25 “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.”

It started with a simple desire. I just wanted my boys to know, deep in their bones, that they are loved.

We were standing in the kitchen. Life was moving fast, and like most families, we were living in the blur of busy. But that day, I paused and looked at Jesse, then Jon David, and said, “Let’s try something.”

I asked them to look at me—to really look me in the eyes. I held their gaze for a moment and simply said, “I love you.”

You know, that kind of vulnerable honesty takes people off guard, especially teenage boys. They laughed a little. It was that one that is half embarrassed, half unsure what to do with something so sincere, but they looked back. And they said it too.

It was weird, but we did it anyway.

And then we did it again the next day. And the next.

Day by day, gaze by gaze, we let the weirdness wear off, and eventually, something beautiful took its place. Now, we lock eyes, we hold the silence, and we say the words. And somehow—just in that simple act—it has become one of the most grounding, grace-filled things in our relationship.

Somewhere along the way, I started thinking about that ancient blessing from Scripture: “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.”

That image has stayed with me—God’s face turned toward us, beaming with love. Not rushing. Not distracted. Just fully present.

That was what I wanted my boys to know. Not just that they’re loved in theory or in passing—but that my love for them is steady and intentional. I want them to recognize that kind of love by the look on my face.

When it comes to showing someone that you love them, your face is the place! Just like God’s face shines on us with His love, we can let others know we love them by looking them in the eyes, holding their gaze, and expressing love sincerely.

So, the next time you are with someone you love, try it. Pause. Look them in the eyes. Let the moment be a little awkward if it needs to be, and then say the words.

Let them see it in your face.

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When God Gives You Pizza

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Isaiah 65:24 – “Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.”

Bonita was not in the mood to talk to anyone. She just wanted to pick up the pizza and go. One pizza. The cheapest one they had. She had double-checked the change in her purse before ordering just hoping she wouldn’t come up short.

On the outside, it probably looked like a normal day, but Bonita knew what it cost her to be there. Pride. Worry. Weariness. Trying to feed a family on fumes never got easier.

At the restaurant, she waited in the car, watching people walk in and out. Then a young employee stepped out, holding not one, but two boxes.

Her stomach sank. She didn’t want a scene. “Oh—I think there’s been a mistake,” she said gently. “I only paid for one.”

But the girl just smiled. “This one’s free. It was an extra. We were just going to throw it away, but we would rather one of our customers had it instead.”

Bonita didn’t know what to say. She just took the boxes and tried not to let the tears fall until she was by herself. No, she didn’t cry over pizza. She cried over the timing. The tenderness. She cried because it felt like God had looked right into her situation and said, I’ve got you.

She did not asked for two pizzas, but God gave her an extra one anyway.

Friend, it is easy to believe we are invisible in our everyday struggles—but God sees every detail. He even hears the prayers we don’t say out loud. He gives what we did not think to ask for. You are not forgotten. And your needs are not too small for Him to meet.

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