“My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Ps. 27:8, NIV).
Do you notice how we humans tend to “see” faces in inanimate objects? Whether it be a car with its headlights and bumper, or a house with two windows and a circular front step, our brain tends to notice anything remotely like a human face and interpret it as one. This phenomenon even has a scientific name: pareidolia.
Pareidolia is why so many of us agree there’s a “man in the moon.” It’s also why it’s so easy for us to see what we perceive as familiar shapes in the clouds. Interestingly, scientific studies have shown that we even react emotionally to “faces” in inanimate objects the same way we do to real faces.
Why do you figure our brains do this? I believe it is a reflection of our overall tendency to look for meaning in our existence. We humans are constantly on the hunt for significance. The meaning of life. Why am I here? …who hasn’t asked this question? Am I important? Do I matter? Do my years here on the planet mean anything?
The reason we ask these questions is that we were created for purpose. We were born for a high and noble purpose indeed. Instinctively, somewhere deep inside, we know that. We weren’t meant to live empty lives. We weren’t designed by our Creator to just make money and try to stay comfortable. We weren’t shaped by Him for a shallow existence.
It’s in our very wiring is to find out our purpose and live it out. Anything less than this will feel hollow and unsatisfying. No amount of accumulated wealth or career accolades will fill the vacuum.
In short, here it is. You and I were born to love God and to make a difference in the lives of other human beings.
This is where pareidolia comes in. We are drawn to see faces in the world around us because we were also created for relationship. God made us for face-to-face living. For this reason, everything in us is looking for connection.
Above all else, we were created for the face of God. We were created for face-to-face with Him. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6, NIV).
As we seek face-to-face friendship with God, relationship with Him will fill the void inside of us. From there, He will show us our part in His grand, amazing plan for this world. Let’s fall in love with Him more and more each day… and find somewhere to serve Him in the lives of the ones He loves! Truly, in these two things we will find the meaning that we were created to seek out and discover.
It is true. Our lives on this planet are God-breathed for a very high purpose indeed.
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Do you enjoy looking for shapes in the clouds? Have you ever felt like God was speaking to you through one of them?
Feeding On Jesus 
I know there’s a study about newborns that see their mother for the first time. They are newly conscious to their outside the womb world, and yet within seconds or minutes, understand they are looking at a face to whom they belong with whom they connect. The design of our relational connectedness is just another amazing way in which the Lord displays his majesty every time we look at one another.
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My brother, this example of our basic design in His image is PERFECT for this discussion, wow!! Seriously, thank you so much for sharing this. Wonderful, wonderful food for thought.
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I really enjoyed your post! And this: For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6
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Aw I am so very glad, my brother! Your joy is contagious :). And yes, isn’t that Scripture just beautiful?
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A Great POST. thank you. I have never forgotten the time I saw a cloud shred in the wind and change shape.
I took a picture and the dear man at the photo shop when he developed my roll of film was forever changed.
It was 2001 and the tragedy of 9/11 kept flashing before our eyes. Repeats kept running and small children were terrified. It was as if every plane that took off hit a building. These children had seen images on TV that haunted them.
I earnestly prayed, O God help me to assure them that You are in control and there is HOPE. I cried out to heaven and the cloud for a brief couple of seconds became a HUGE and clear NUMBER 5 in the sky. Only I KNOW it was as I saw it and not digitally enhanced in any way as folks can do today. The Number 5 is God’s Number for GRACE. His GRACE on this earth until He returns to set up His Kingdom.
Those you have the picture and I personally KNOW. His Grace still holds this broken world in His Hands, Blessings to you all.
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Wow, that’s amazing Faye! Do you have a link to somewhere I could see your picture? Thank you so much for sharing this! Also, I also learned, along with you, that five is the number of grace. I have also shared that with others. But I have wondered to myself, how we came to understand it that way. Is it because the five fold ministry are five charisma, gifts of grace? Let me know if you have any more thoughts on this. Love you!
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Jennifer, your testament brings forward a blessed message. Indeed, we are created to live a life in harmony with God’s love. This relationship will connect us with others in our daily walk with Christ.
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Thank you, Richard! I am so deeply grateful that He created us for connection, first with Him and from there, with others that walk in the light with us. May the light of HIs face shine on you today and in all your ways!
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Love the post! Great indeed, thank you for sharing. ❤️❤️
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Aw you are so welcome, and thank you!
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