In the Image of God

In the Image of God

Then god said, “let us make man in our image.” - Genesis 1:26

One day, perhaps not too long from now, you will be involved in a wedding ceremony. You may be the one standing at the front of the church watching a special person walking toward you or you may be the person doing the walking down the aisle.

You may feel cool, calm and collected or you may have thousands of butterflies colliding in mass collisions in your stomach.

You may have spent hours working on looking your best. You want to portray a certain image on that day. You want those in attendance to remember you by how you looked.

Who is that person your partner is about to marry? Who are you really? Who is that person with whom you will spend the rest of your life? Do you understand who you are and who that other special person is?

These are basic questions we tend to take for granted. If you were asked to tell who you are apart from any reference to your work or occupation, would you be able to do so? It is a stressful exercise for many people!

Sometimes our identity is all wrapped up in what we produce. Others have their identity built upon their status or their appearance. But God has a different perspective.

The psalmist said, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, . . . You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet” (Ps. 8:3-6). God does not use the criteria you do. He simply declares you to be someone special.

Why are humans so worthy? The answer is found in Genesis 1:26,27. Read these verses aloud together. We have this glory and majesty because of the way God created us.

God gave us life, meaning, purpose and His presence to carry us through this life. You did not earn it. You can’t earn it or buy it; it is an undeserved gift.

How does all this concern your marriage? Look at your future partner right now. You won’t be living with just a marital partner, but with a person God created. He gave your partner the breath of life.

Your calling is to care deeply and practically for that person, and as you do so your respect and your feelings for him or her will become more positive.

The changes you see coming from this positive response will have a positive effect on both of your personalities.

Understand your partner and yourself through God’s eyes. Remember who you are. Remember who your partner is. You both bear God’s image. If you have children, they bear God’s image as well.

Just realizing that fact can affect how we think about another person and thus help change our behavior. That positive result makes our efforts to understand each other worthwhile.