“Then God said, ‘Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.’ 27 God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27, CEB)
I genuinely love the work and writing of author Andy Crouch. As this election cycle heats up, I have been reflecting frequently on one of Andy’s primary teaching points. Andy asserts that as Christians our “first fundamental calling” is to bear the image of God. He describes this as us reflecting the Creator into the creation; and reflecting both creation’s praise and lament back to the Creator.
Andy identifies our “second fundamental calling” as the work of restoring the image of God. He explains, “Our distinctive calling as Christians is not just to till and keep the world as image bearers, but to actively seek out the places where that image has been lost, to place ourselves at particular risk on behalf of the victims of idolatry and injustice…In every society, Christians should be the most active in using their talents on behalf of those the society considers marginal or unworthy.”
This call on our lives to be image-bearers and image-restorers deeply resonates with my own life and vocational identity. And while recognizing our identity as image-bearers is a starting place, we need to also recognize that everyone we meet also bears the image of the creator. As I navigate daily life, I have found it meaningful to remind myself that each person with whom I interact is an image bearer. Here’s a few examples of what I mean:
- That person who just cut me off in traffic, an image bearer.
- A coworker who doesn’t do things the way I would, an image bearer.
- A teenager whose ability to “think ahead” hasn’t fully developed, an image bearer.
- That person at the store with multiple piercings and tattoos, an image bearer.
- The homeless person holding a sign at the street corner, an image bearer.
- The person on Facebook who posts a provoking or misleading idea, an image bearer.
- The politician for the other party, an image bearer.
When we stop, even for just a moment, and remind ourselves that these people in some manner bear the image of the creator, it can change our perspective. As we go about doing the work of image-bearing and image-restoring, we recognize that we need image restoration just as much as those who are different than us.
I invite you to pray with me:
Lord, help me to see Your image in the other.
Help me to be a worthy reflection of Your image back to Your creation.
May others recognize You in me.
Show me where and how You are calling me to be an image-restorer.
In my daily rhythms, before I respond, help me pause for moment and recognize your image in those around me.
May my life be a testimony, bearing witness to Jesus as the world’s true Lord, and “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Amen.
You are loved,
Pastor Shawn