All around us, people are subtly teaching us to know God — to take joy and delight in him. They’re subtly showing us the one we can’t see, but deeply, innately long to know.

In the unexpected hug from a parent, a sibling, a child or a friend. In the way a friend gives you a gift that shows just how much they understand you. In the beauty you see in a spouse’s smile. In someone’s beautiful singing voice. In their gifts and talents. In the moment your child does something kind for someone else. In a good friend’s laugh. In the way someone stood up for you. In the way someone showed you grace when they could have showed you rejection or pain. In the way a teacher, a grandparent or a neighbor thought the world of you and made time for you.

We see it all, but we don’t see it for all that it is. We don’t see it for the way it’s all an echo of the Infinite One — of God.

See, we were made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27). Which means those glimmers of glory and goodness we see in each other are actually reflections of him. They’re a picture of our maker.

The best things about the people around us — the things we find joy and delight in — are the things we would love about God if we could see him face to face. They are like little fragments of a much larger picture; like tiles in a mosaic or pieces of stained glass in a church window. They’re not just beautiful in and of themselves. They’re beautiful as part of something greater; something more. They’re the echo and the imprint of the Beautiful One — of our Heavenly Father and our forever friend.

But this is more than just a fun fact. It’s a picture of hope.

Our being made in God’s image, our reflecting his goodness to each other, is one of the many things that lets us have confidence that when we meet him, we’ll know him. We’ll love him. Because in a thousand little ways, we’ve already met him.

We’ve met him in that friend’s gift, that parent’s hug, that spouse’s smile, that child’s kindness, that neighbor’s laugh, that Olympian’s talent, that sibling’s defense of us. They were all echoes of God, of his character, his beauty, his heart, his goodness, kindness, justice, righteousness and love.

God isn’t hiding from us in some far corner of the universe. He’s hiding in us — hiding in plain sight. If we only have eyes to see it.

Each part of those we’ve known that’s truly good, truly beautiful, truly loving, is a reflection of God himself. So when we see all these things we can know that when we meet Him we won’t say, “Who are you?” (if we can speak at all). We’ll say, “It’s you! It’s always been you. You were always there.”

And whatever we may have lost to follow him (Mark 10:29-30) in this trouble filled life (Job 14:1), all the suffering we endured along the way will only wash against the fullness of seeing him — the Infinite One, the sum of all those little reflections — face to face.

So take heart. Let the joy of these little glimmers draw you to see that something — someone — greater is coming, who you’ve always known. Hear the echoes of the Infinite One all around you and wait for the day when you will hear his voice say your name.