Day 20 | Tuesday, September 9
Written by Lakepointe Elder
And Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face-to-face, and yet my life was spared.”
GENESIS 32:30
the many faces of a soul
In his book “Thou Shall Prosper,” author Rabbi Daniel Latin explains that in the Hebrew language, the word for “face”—panim—always occurs in the plural form. There’s no word for “face” in the singular. Even when referring to one person, the word remains plural.
This is no accident.
In the Bible, Moses speaks to God panim el panim—face-to-face—using a plural form to describe an intimate, singular encounter. Why? Because in God’s eyes—and in reality—no face is ever just one thing.
A FACE IS NEVER JUST A FACE
Every human face tells many stories:
• Joy and sorrow
• Youth and age
• Peace and pain
• The present moment and hidden past
The plural word “panim” reminds us: you never see the whole person at first glance. When I look into the face of my wife, I not only see her current beauty, I also see the woman I married 43 years ago.
The woman whose mother passed away before we had children. The woman who birthed three wonderful children. The woman who deeply loves God’s written Word. The woman who cherishes our six grandsons.
God, who sees the heart, doesn’t evaluate people by one angle, one failure, one trait, or one season of life. He sees the whole.
HOW WE JUDGE
But how often do we reduce people to one face?
• The coworker who snapped at us—we label them “rude”
• The friend who disappeared—we call them “unreliable”
• The stranger who looks different—we think “other”
We tend to assign a single story to someone whose soul is woven from many threads.
THE CALL TO SEE PLURALLY
If “panim” is plural, then to love as God loves is to look again:
• See past the surface
• Recognize the layers of someone’s journey
• Accept that a person can be both broken and beautiful, and still be becoming
Jesus did this. He saw Zacchaeus not as a thief but as a child of Abraham. He saw Peter not as a denier but as a rock. He looked at the many faces of each soul, not just one moment, not just one mask.
PRAY
Lord, give me your eyes. Help me to see others not as labels, not as f irst impressions, but as whole, complex, sacred souls.
Teach me to look with grace. As you see my many faces and love me still, help me do the same for others.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
