AMEN Australia 2020 Conference: Centres of Influence

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Adventist Medical Evangelism Network Australia

Antoinette Mowbray

Medical Ministry - Face Value

So I just wanted to, in just over 5 minutes, just flip through something that I had on my mind.

And some of you will resonate with it, some may not as much, but just a few devotional thoughts here.

So I guess you could call 2020 the year of loss of face and it was something I was reflecting on a few months into it obviously for those of us in Victoria wearing it every time outside of the house and obviously there's been lots of good reasons for it and we're not here to talk about that but it also comes with some interesting observations.

Often some of our therapeutics have some recognizable side effects, and sometimes there's a certain part of your face, when you don't see it for months on end, you start to feel a bit unsettled.

When you don't see smiles, when you don't, when you know that other people can't see you smiling and so you stop bothering to do it anymore.

And then you realise that your own smiling or lack thereof has an impact on your own state of mind, it's quite interesting.

Some resort to desperate measures I noticed, which was quite fascinating and isn't it interesting how much different it makes you feel being able to see someone smile.

Too often we only realize the benefit of something when we no longer have it.

And I think we can say that about other forms of physical affection.

And I did a bit of a search in their concordance and it was really interesting finding what it refers to in Bible times.

There were times, and I'll let you read the verses without reading them all out, but hiding face in Bible times obviously had nothing to do with mask wearing but it's just interesting looking at the comparison.

Often it showed shame, guilt, or people did it when they were ashamed, when they were guilty, when they were angry, or when they were wanting to show reverence.

Particularly 1 of our well-known ones in Isaiah 53, we hid as it were our faces from him.

And it's also commented on that face-to-face is 1 of the most meaningful forms of communication.

Talking about Jacob seeing God face to face, the Lord speaking unto Moses face to face as a man speaking unto his friend.

And we will probably resonate with that, we probably didn't realise how much we valued it until we didn't have it for a time.

It's interesting too that our faces can reflect our recent exposures.

You remember from when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, his face shone so much that he had to put a veil over it because otherwise it was uncomfortable for those with whom he was speaking.

And note too, and we'll pick it up later, his face shone.

Facial expression has an effect on us, it communicates emotion positively or negatively and has an influence that's commensurate with that.

1 of our favorite verses, the Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee.

And there's a lot about faces shining which is interesting.

In the past facial coverings did convey a certain message, clearly not that's what being conveyed, that's not what's being conveyed now but it's interesting that particularly in Acts 6 15 they looked on Stephen's face and they thought it looked like the face of an angel.

We are invited to seek God's face for our own benefit and it is often alongside his strength or his character and is associated with him strengthening us and forgiving us and leading us onward.

So it's been talking a bit about faces shining.

There was a verse in Psalms that I noticed that talks about people use substances to make their face shine.

And it's interesting that oil is often used to represent the Holy Spirit as well.

And then it says in Ecclesiastes that a man's wisdom makes his face to shine.

And interestingly in the Transfiguration, Jesus' face shone after he had an experience in the mount with God.

In the New Testament Paul talks about seeing face to face 1 day, but also with open face, beholding the glory of the Lord being changed into the same image by the Holy Spirit.

And also that God commanded the light to shine out of darkness who will shine in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

And 1 day we have the promise that not only shall we see the face of Jesus but his name or his character shall be in our foreheads or our minds.

And just in closing I'd just like to read a couple of thoughts here.

Looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith we shall catch the light of his countenance reflect his image and grow up under the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.

Our religion will be attractive because it will possess the fragrance of the righteousness of Christ.

God has given a great work into the hands of physicians.

The actions and words, the very expressions of the physician's countenance are matters of study.

If the physician has religion he can impart the fragrance of heavenly grace to the softened and subdued heart of the suffering 1.

He can direct the thoughts of his patient to the great physician.

He can present Jesus to the sin-sick soul." And sometimes reflecting on my own experience in a secular workplace that is so busy it's so easy to forget this and to forget how much the care, The Christian love that we reflect in our faces has a benefit on those with whom we interact.

So on face value there's potential for great therapeutic value in our facial expressions.

Our faces obviously house many of our senses.

Our facial expressions often reflect our state of mind and we reflect what we spend the most time absorbing through our senses.

As clinicians, what are we telling people by our facial expressions?

Do we show a love that is only heaven born?

Do we spend time each day as a priority gaining the light that shines from heaven so that we may reflect it to others?

How often do we allow this light to grow dim from busyness from lack of exposure to the great light?

Spiritually have we been covering our faces?

But even if we are in this category, as I know I have been many times, can we purpose now to start anew, recognizing the impact God can make on others through our reflection of His wonderful light in our lives, and this year, a positive contagion.

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Medical Ministry - Face Value

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