Genesis 1:26-28, 5:1-2, 9:6; James 3:9-10
Some can be so fussy. “I’m tired. I’m hungry. I’m sleepy. I don’t like the weather. Just not feeling it. Do I really need to do that? I can’t find my sock. My butt itches.” Sure, some fussing is legit, but you and I know when the ole wheel squeaks just a bit too much.
Hmmm…then we read the posted words from the Lord. We are clearly challenged to look at others and ourselves in a bit of practical mystery. For whatever the “image” means no doubt it at least means that we are uniquely created. We get the vibe to look at and engage others with a deep sense of value and meaning, even if a “fuss meter” is off the chart.
So, I ponder…
- What privileges or responsibilities come with bearing the image?
- How does it make you feel to think you carry the image of God?
- What do you do or how do you live knowing that you carry the image of God? How do you related to others knowing they carry the image?
As it relates to the “image of God” in us, J. S. Duvall proposes these six principles as a framework for thinking (mind), feeling (heart), and willing (doing).
1. All human being (not just Christians) have value and dignity. We are important because of who we are (created as important by God). We are not the mere products of naturalistic evolution. People deserve respect, and human life should be regarded as sacred.
2. We belong to God. We are not our own. We need God and will only find our ultimate fulfillment in God. We are meant to be God’s, not gods.
3. We were created for relationship and community. If we have been created in the image of God who enjoys an eternal fellowship of love, then we too need relationship – with God and other human beings.
4. We have been granted both freedom and responsibility. We are charged with “ruling” and “subduing” creation (Gen. 1:28). We are free to make real choices that affect the direction and destiny of our lives and others’ lives. God intends for us to cooperate with him in faithfully managing creation.
5. We have been created male and female. In an age of gender confusion, we need to know how important gender clarity is to God. We are created to live as either male or female and to interact with the other gender in a complementary partnership.
6. Sin may distort the image, but it does not destroy it. Even after human beings chose to sin, they were told not to kill (Gen. 9) or curse (James 3) people because they have been made in God’s image.
Let’s end with a goody. So, the next time we are “taking-care-of-z-business,” instead of scrolling social media or checking stock reports, perhaps ponder these words.
“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”
C. S. Lewis
Yes, yes, student-athletes fuss. Frankly, I fuss. Sometimes my “butt itches.” In those tender moments perhaps, we can see one another as image bearers of God, everlasting splendors, worthy of a bit of mercy and grace. Itchy butts and all.
