Learning to Love the Face You’ve Been Given

I spent most of my twenties looking in the mirror at a face I didn’t love. Makeup interventions, hairstyle adjustments, and even color analysis failed to take the edge off my conviction that something about my face was simply not right.

Around the same time, I discovered C.S. Lewis’s Till We Have Faces and felt a strong kinship with Orual, the sad and ugly sister who resolved to go through life wearing a veil. Young-adult histrionics aside, Orual’s veiled life reminded me that the believer comes before God unveiled. Even now, she warns me of the dangers of damming up emotions, slamming the door on things I’d rather not deal with, and working hard to project an image that does not line up with the “me” that lives and breathes (and fails and falters) on this broken ground.

It turns out I was correct in assessing the difference between my face, my jaw alignment, and the rest of the world. Sadly, however, I drew the wrong conclusion and wasted a lot of time. Learning to love the face I had been given feels like long-ago history, but I was reminded of the experience as I read about Russell Joyce’s story in His Face Like Mine.

We have forgotten we are the beloved of God. He has reminded us and intercepted our wounded souls with his own wounds, giving us a new memory and restoring within us our true identity.”

His healing process also blazes a trail for readers in the struggle to relate well in marriage and to curate a healthy relationship with work and success. I appreciated the deep soul work that took him into the writings of historical Christians on our suffering and our union with Christ:

• George MacDonald convinced Joyce that our suffering is never pointless: “Jesus suffered unto death not that men might not suffer, but that their suffering might be like his, and lead them up to his perfection.”
• Augustine pushed back against his unfounded feelings of isolation: “God, you are more in me than I am in me.”
• C.S. Lewis provided context for the often insensitive responses aimed at those who suffer: “They say of some temporal suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backward and turn even that agony into glory.”

Digging into scripture, Joyce discovered God as the one who “invites us to remove the veil.” Accepting the invitation to “contemplate the Lord’s glory, [to be] transformed into his image,” he experienced the love of a Savior who knows what it is to bear the scars that come with life in a broken world. His work leaves a trail toward restoration and hope for others who need healing.

What Other Reviewers Are Saying

“Russell’s work is a fresh and vulnerable look at the good news of Jesus’ grace. By mingling personal stories with scriptural reflections, he puts forth an embodied apologetic that aims to disarm us all of our false selves, look a little deeper into the depths of our souls, and find the Savior who was there the whole time ready to set us free by his love.” — Alan Hirsch, author and founder of Movement Leaders Collective and Forge Missional Training Network

“For anyone grappling with adversity, be it in the form of visible scars or hidden wounds, this book stands as a testament to the possibility of being made whole in Christ. Russell’s narrative serves as a beacon of hope, challenging readers to perceive their own trials through a lens of divine purpose. His Face like Mine is an eloquent reminder that, in the hands of a compassionate God, even the most catastrophic events can be transmuted into opportunities for profound personal and collective growth.” — Edwin Colon, pastor of Next Step Community Church in Brooklyn, New York

Holding You in the Light,

“We have forgotten we are the beloved of God. He has reminded us and intercepted our wounded souls with his own wounds, giving us a new memory and restoring within us our true identity.” ~Russell Joyce in His Face Like Mine @ivpress

Tweet

See all my Given—One Word 2024 posts here.

Free Encouragement in Your Inbox!

On the third Thursday of every month, I send a newsletter with biblical encouragement straight to my subscribers’ email inboxes. Frequently, I share free resources, and the newsletter is where everything lands first.

CLICK HERE to read my most recent newsletter where you’ll be given the opportunity to subscribe. I’m committed to the truth that women can become confident followers of God and students of his Word, and I want to help you along that path.

---

Looking for Challenging Devotional Reading that Encourages You to Seek Intimacy with God Every Day?

As you know, I’m committed to the truth that women can become confident followers of God and students of his Word, and it’s my goal to help you along that path. At Living Our Days, I provide biblical content and resources to encourage biblical literacy and faithful living, and now I’m sharing devotional content on the YouVersion app. Visit my profile page to get free access to the reading plans!

---

I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees. If you should decide to purchase any of the books or products I’ve shared, simply click on the book title, and you’ll be taken directly to the seller. If you decide to buy, I’ll receive a few pennies at no extra cost to you.

Many thanks to InterVarsity Press for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.