The (Funnny) Faces of Justice

Publisher’s Pen

Dale Mason Publisher

My wife and I picked up our toddler grandson, Justice, a few evenings ago. The little guy was bubbling with excitement about his imminent overnight at Grampa and Grammie’s house.

As soon as I started to back out of the driveway, he started chattering. I have to admit, the happy sounds coming from the car seat behind me reminded me more of a squirrel chirping in the trees above the midwestern house where I grew up than actual words. But Grammie claims a special ability to translate grandchild sounds into meaningful conversation (she has a great imagination).

In any case, as I drove I kept checking the rearview mirror and watching Justice’s face. There I found the key to interpreting his description of the amazing world beyond his window.

A sound approximating “uc” burst from a slightly open mouth under wide eyes. He’d spotted the long white truck beside us and loved its massive size. Then came a sound something like “ane,” repeatedly emphasized by raised eyebrows, furrowed forehead, and upturned face, as he watched a jet airplane blast upward from a nearby airport.

And of course Grammie and I responded with equally animated facial expressions. We contorted our lips, jaws, noses, eyes, foreheads, and cheeks like overused punctuation marks and bold text in a grade-schooler’s short story: bold italics, quadruple exclamation points, underscores, and commas, as if they were purchased in bulk at an eBay auction.

The human face is the paper on which the joys and sorrows of our lives are displayed. And our Creator designed us to communicate those feelings extremely well—even if our words are more like squirrel chirps!

Be sure to read Dr. David Menton’s excellent article about the universal language of facial expressions. It begins on page 46. You may never look at your reflection—or your grandchild’s face—in quite the same way again.

All for Him,

Dale T. Mason, Publisher

P.S. Unrealistic toys like the tiny plastic “Ark” on the cover of this issue may prepare kids not to trust the Bible rather than to believe it. Don’t miss the big “Ark Tales” article that starts on page 56—you may even be surprised to discover a few misconceptions of your own!

“Confusion about Noah’s Ark has caused many people to doubt the truth of the Bible, but when we look closely at what the Bible actually says, such doubts vanish. The Ark was real, and it is a powerful picture of the salvation God provides for His people. Getting the Bible’s factual history right is a critical step in effectively sharing the truth that we need a Savior and what Christ’s work on the Cross overcame.”