Made in the Image of God or Made in the Image of Me?
The book of Genesis tells us that we are made in the image of God and our culture tells us we are shaped by our DNA, culture, parents, socioeconomic status, or in other words made in the image of Me. It is so easy for people today to discount the idea that we are created in the image of God when it seems like such an antiquated idea or outdated concept. To start with how can we be created in the image of God and be male and female? You don’t have to be a genius to see the physical differences!
The important thing to realise is that we are all created in the image of God, not the reflection of God. No one is a reflection of God, no one is identical to God, no one looks like God. Humanity is an infinite variety of forms, yet each and every one housing the qualities of God (the image of God). The qualities of God are love, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, compassion, protection, justice and generosity, just to name a few. The image of the corrupted humanity is greed, hatred, revenge, unforgiveness, domination and fear, just to name a few. We all know how easy it is to conform to the image of a corrupted humanity and how challenging it is to conform to the image of God.
The idea that God has shaped us and formed us to be who we are is incredibly powerful. I love Psalm 139:13 (TPT), “You (God) formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb.” It gives us a beautiful picture of how God has formed each and every one of us as individuals.
Some of you know my story and how I have dysgraphia. Many would suggest a weakness. However, woven into that weakness is my ability to think in a way which is different most people. I call this spaghetti logic, I’m not sure that’s a real thing! My brain does not follow a logical pathway to find solutions. It reaches out to the obscure parts of my brain to find solutions to a problem.
I think, behave and act differently from you (not better) because I am uniquely and wonderfully made. I have also been shaped by my DNA, my upbringing, my culture, my faith and my family. I am made in the image of God and made in the image of Me.
The reality is that the formation of God, the DNA of my parents and my own efforts all make me the person I am today. I choose to believe that God has a hand in all of those factors. In fact, I follow the call of God on my life not out of a strong identity of self but rather out of the uniqueness that God has formed me to be. We are all uniquely and wonderfully crafted to be the people that God has made us to be.
So, may I suggest to you that we are all made in the image of God and made in the image of me.