First Notice the Image

And God created the human in his image,
in the image of God He created him,
male and female He created them.
Genesis 1:27 | Robert Alter

I've read these words many times. They stand out in the Old Testament as the first poem and it is a poem on the lips of God himself as he creates humanity. I think the poem is behind the rationale for C.S. Lewis' Aslan to sing all things into creation.

This morning I rode my brilliantly orange bike to the church, to my study. As I passed by many other people–some walking, some biking, some smoking, some tired from a long night outside–the thought struck me: these are made and reflect, in some measure, the image of God. And yet how often do I not lead with that reality of another human but lead with another idea that is constructed and spoken by...well I don't know exactly who or where.

It is easy to belittle others and it often starts with assuming their image(ness) is rooted in something other than God and his creating all humanity in his image. But what if we began with recognizing that each person we encounter is created in the image of God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth? What if, before jumping to criticize their appearance, odor, political affiliations, language, behavior, orientation, etc., we first began with "this is a person deemed by God to bear His image"? That would certainly soften our hearts so they are pliable as Jesus', tender that they might listen to the guidance of the Spirit.

Perhaps we should lead with words like these on our lips: "image-bearer of God".

Grace & Peace