Face to Face with God, Ourselves, and Others

I gave a talk titled “Face to Face with God” at a church recently. You can watch the recording here. But in giving that talk it is painfully obvious to me that coming face to face with ourselves, with others and with God, is just as essential for Christian lawyers and legal practitioners trying to be faithful followers of Jesus and excellent in their vocation, as it is for everyone else in the pew.

In a profession built on truth-telling, on evidence and argument, on being strong for others and staying composed in the face of injustice, lawyers are rarely given permission to pause and look inward. And yet, soul care for lawyers demands exactly that.

It asks that we stop. That we take stock. That we come face to face—first with ourselves, then with others, and ultimately with God.

Face to Face with Ourselves

John Calvin, in the opening lines of his Institutes, wrote that true wisdom lies in two things: the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves. But he confessed that it’s hard to say which one comes first, for each leads to the other.

To come face to face with God, we must be prepared to come face to face with ourselves. And that, as any lawyer knows, is often the most difficult examination of all.

For many of us, that honest self-appraisal reveals a painful truth. That we are not in control of ourselves as much as we pretend to be. That we are broken. That the same sharp intellect we use to navigate courtrooms and contracts can also be used to excuse our failures, justify our compromises, and avoid the still small voice within.

Country singer Morgan Wallen may not be on many lawyers’ playlists, but his song Kick Myself captures this reality better than many theological tomes. After trying to clean up his act, he realises the one person he can’t escape is himself:
“Did my best but I just can’t kick myself.”

This is where coming face to face with ourselves begins: with the acknowledgment that we need saving. Not because we’ve failed to meet our billable targets or missed a deadline—but because we have failed to love well, to live truthfully, to be the people God calls us to be.

And yet, there is another side to the truth. A deeper one. That despite all our shortcomings, we are still held by a love that will not let us go. Like the prodigal son, who comes to his senses not just because he is starving, but because he remembers the character of his father, we too must believe that God still wants us. Not just tolerates us. Wants us.

The voice of the enemy says, “You’re too far gone.” But the voice of God says, “You are my beloved.” And when we hear that voice, truly hear it, we are ready to take the first steps home.

Face to Face with Others

One of the greatest challenges for legal professionals is the constant temptation to see people as problems to solve, cases to close, or obstacles to overcome. But Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that he is present in the face of the hungry, the stranger, the prisoner (Matthew 25:34–40).

In our courtrooms, boardrooms, and client meetings, we are called to see more than what’s on the docket. We are called to see people.

Ezekiel tells us that the sin of Sodom was not just violence or sexual immorality, but this: “She was arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned; she did not help the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49)

It’s a haunting indictment. And a warning to us all.

Coming face to face with others means more than private piety. It means public mercy. It means asking not just, “Is this legal?” but “Is this just?” Not just “What’s best for the client?” but “What honours the image of God in every person involved?”

Granny Weatherwax, a wise witch in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, put it like this: “Sin is when you treat people as things.” We do that more often than we realise.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. To face others well, we need the courage to move beyond professionalism into compassion. To see others not as files or fees, but as souls. As fellow travellers. As people Christ died for.

Face to Face with God

And finally, we must come face to face with God.

For some of us, the problem isn’t ignorance. We know the theology. We’ve heard the sermons. We believe the creeds. And yet, something still feels distant. Something still aches.

Bruce Strom, in his book, Gospel Justice, shared how he faithfully tithed, lived morally, and followed God—and yet and his wife found themselves crushed by infertility, grief, and silence. And in that silence, he began to believe the lie that God owed him something.

Many of us have been there. When we suffer injustice at work. When we lose loved ones. When things fall apart and no one can explain why. When we’ve done everything “right” and life still breaks down.

The Bible never promises we’ll understand it all. Job didn’t. Neither did Paul. And neither will we.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says we see “only a reflection as in a mirror”. And in his time, mirrors were just polished metal—dim and distorted. We see only shadows. Glimpses. Fragments.

But one day, we will see fully. One day, we will come face to face with God. And on that day, we won’t be given answers—we’ll be given presence. We’ll be given Him.

C.S. Lewis, in Till We Have Faces, explores why we struggle to see God clearly. The answer he gives is startling: we are not yet ready. Until we come face to face with ourselves, until we are honest about our own faces, we are not ready to behold His.

Soul care for lawyers means living with that tension. Holding on in the dark. Trusting not in explanations but in the character of the God who, as it says in Job, laid the earth’s foundations, shut up the sea behind doors, and yet sees you. Knows you. Loves you.

A Final Word

For some of us, the challenge is personal. It’s time to face up to ourselves. To let the gospel speak into the mess and the mask.

For others, the challenge is relational. To see others again. To move toward compassion. To serve with our skills, not just our success.

For all of us, the invitation is to look up—to the God who knows us fully, and one day, will be fully known.

Let us take heart. We are not alone. The God who calls us to truth also calls us to grace. And His face, when we finally see it, will be the face of a Father running toward us with arms wide open.