I shall behold your face I righteousness when I wake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness."
- Psalm 17:15
I am going in for MOHS surgery on my nose for a second time in seven years. This is not a frightful thing for me given that my dermatologist catches these little cancers early on. However, it is a jarring thing; "beholding your likeness" in the mirror for a few weeks is not a thing of beauty as the wounds heal.
I think of how unsettling my life would be if it were dependent on the likeness of my face or my soul, both of which have scars which, like skin cancer, are often self-inflicted from excess. I am gratefully reminded by the psalmist that my satisfaction comes not from seeing my likeness each day, but rather God's likeness - God's "face" - wherever there is righteousness, love, beauty and healing in the people, in the world and in myself.
See you at the soul surgical center on Sunday,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor