Daily Devotions
Face to Face
Title: Face to Face
By Joshua Carter
Reading for September 29: Zechariah 1-5
Weekly reading for September 23-29: 1 Thessalonians 1-5
We live in an age where human interaction is becoming increasingly less “face to face.” This is neither an inherently bad thing nor an inherently good thing. It’s just a fact of the world we were born into. When the telephone was first invented, many were fearful it would kill the art of letter-writing. As email, text messaging, and social media have come along, many have been concerned that we’d stop talking on the phone.
While the ways in which we communicate have changed rapidly (especially in recent history), the one component of this discussion that remains unchanged is us. People scrawled notes on papyrus and animal skins in ancient times, and people share their thoughts instantly using the Internet today. But people are people and a central component of being a human being is the innate desire to effectively communicate with other human beings.
In pursuit of that, one unchanging truth about us is that no form of communication will ever supplant face-to-face interaction as the most powerful way to help each other understand the thoughts and feelings within us. For this reason, when Paul wanted to most compellingly encourage the brethren in Thessalonica, he knew that simply writing a letter could only do so much good for them.
“But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face” (1 Thessalonians 2:17).
“…we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith…” (1 Thessalonians 3:10)
Listening to someone face to face makes it possible to not only hear what that person is saying, but to understand why his or her words are being said. The intricacies of body language, facial expression, and intonation can only be fully felt while in a speaker’s presence.
So let’s take advantage of all the modern communicational conveniences we have today, but let’s not rely on them any more than Paul relied on writing letters. Tweet Bible verses, email inspirational notes, drop “get well” cards in the mail, and post devotional articles on Facebook.
But when we notice a brother who is severely discouraged, someone who needs to hear something difficult about sin in his life, a classmate we want to invite to a Bible study, or a coworker who is interested in discussing the gospel, let’s not avoid actual verbal conversation just because it may be a little less comfortable to us. Even as our world continues to change, the most effective appeals will always be the ones we make face to face.
Father, give us the compassion to see the needs of others and give us the courage to say what needs to be said. Help us to never be too busy or too nervous to talk to those around us face to face.
