Imago Dei

'God created humankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them, male and female He created them.' ~ Genesis 1:27 (NET Bible)

Paintings don't paint themselves. Sculptures cannot mold themselves. Neither songs nor poems are able to write themselves. 

You & I didn't create ourselves either. We didn't appear on this planet randomly, the circumstantial results of the Big Bang Theory. We simply didn't just materialize on this planet like the various 'away team' crew members did on weekly episodes of Star Trek. 

We were intentionally created, carefully woven & spun, lovingly molded & fashioned, with brushstrokes, fingerprints and lyrical storylines unique to us, by the Master Artist, the Creator Extraordinaire: God. Our Father. 

In The Living Bible, throughout the Creation story in Genesis 1, the phrase which pops up at the end of each day's descriptions is 'and God was pleased.' Except at the end of Day 6; instead, for this particular day on which man & woman were brought & breathed into existence, made in the ‘Imago Dei’ – the image of God -- these words were spoken:

'Then God looked over all that He had made, & it was excellent in every way.' ~ Genesis 1:31, TLB

Did you catch that? Don't skim over it. EXCELLENT. In EVERY way. 

So why, when we look in the mirror, do we hate what we see? We bemoan our freckles or lack of them. We're embarrassed over that gap in our front teeth or that much too prominent birthmark or our protruding nose. We complain about our eye color; our curly or poker straight hair; our too thin or too thick lips.

Millions of dollars are spent each year on products & services that promise to make us look better, younger, more attractive. Flawless.  And completely different.  We can suddenly find ourselves unrecognizable. Why do we desire to look like anyone but ourselves?

Could it be possible that the very thing which you so despise about yourself is that very thing which God wildly adores about you? Because HE created you that way? 

You are fearfully & wonderfully made. You are unique. You are beautiful. You are God's lovingly created masterpiece: His artwork, His sculpture, His poem, His song.

Never forget that you bear the signature of the Divine.

'For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully & wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.' ~ Psalm 139:13-16, NIV

God's Masterpiece

When you hear the word

Masterpiece.....

....what do you think of?

Do you think of a portrait painted by a renowned artist?

Starry Night, by Vincent VanGogh

A famous statue chiseled by a well-known sculptor?

The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin

Or how about an incredible piece of music created by a celebrated composer?

The Hallelujah Chorus, by George Frideric Handel

This past Sunday, our pastor preached a sermon about who God wants us to be and how He sees us.  He referenced Ephesians 2:10:

'For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.'

As someone who has spent WAY too much time over the years comparing myself to other people and my circumstances to theirs, and has come up wanting each time, I'd like to share  a bit of what I took away from my pastor's sermon. I know there's someone out there in the blogosphere besides myself who needs to be reminded of these truths -- or perhaps needs to hear them and learn them for the very first time. 

When we don't accept who we are, or what we have, or our situation, we become depressed, dissatisfied, discontent.   But really -- who are we?

We are God's workmanship.  Some Bible translations say 'God's creation' or 'God's handiwork.' But the New Living Translation says it this way: 'We are God's masterpiece.' 

The word 'workmanship' in our English language is translated 'poemia' in Greek, which is where we get the word 'poem.'   So literally speaking, we are God's poem, a poetic statement, written by God.  

Think about that in regards to yourself.  Get up from the computer, go find a mirror and take a look at yourself as you think, no....as you say aloud: "I am God's masterpiece; a poem, written by Him."  Let that truth sink in for a few moments.

You are a unique individual, created by the Lord God; special, set apart for Him.  You were created in the image of God (check out Genesis 1:27).  He took time to form you, to knit you like a beautiful piece of tapestry, in your mother's womb.  You are fearfully and wonderfully made. 

"For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth." ~ Psalm 139: 13-15, NIV

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born, I separated and set you apart, consecrating you;" ~ Jeremiah 1:5, AMP

God knew exactly how He wanted you to look:


*your height


*your skin, eye and hair color


*your birthmarks, beauty marks, freckles


*the shape of your face, nose, lips, eyes and ears




God knew exactly how He wanted you to sound:


*the tone of your speaking voice


*the timbre of your singing voice


*the lilt of your laughter

Listen -- stop trying to be somebody else.  Somebody you aren't.  Because you CAN NEVER BE who you're supposed to be if you waste your time and your life trying to be someone God didn't create you to be.  

God created you to be you.  

He didn't create you to preach like Billy Graham or Francis Chan or Tony Evans.

He didn't create you to write like Max Lucado or Neta Jackson or Priscilla Shirer.

He didn't create you to hit high notes like Mariah Carey or play the guitar like B.B. King or dance like Gene Kelly.

God created YOU to be YOU!

Are you getting the picture now? No pun intended.  But seriously, please don't look at yourself and merely see someone who is unattractive or who doesn't measure up with the perfect, popular crowd.  Don't keep reminding yourself of the poor choices you made ten years ago, or the mistakes you made yesterday.  Please STOP right now.  Because this is not -- repeat, IS NOT -- how God sees you when He looks at you.  

You are a beautiful tapestry, woven and spun by the Master Weaver -- carefully, intentionally.

You are a magnificent vessel, formed by The Potter's hands -- lovingly, tenderly.

You are a glorious poetic symphony, created by the Consummate Composer, sung by the Sacred Psalmist -- joyfully, passionately.

YOU are a masterpiece.

God's Masterpiece!

Unexpected Gifts

Whenever this happens, my heart stops— I'm stunned, I can't catch my breath.
Listen to it! Listen to his thunder,
the rolling, rumbling thunder of his voice.
He lets loose his lightnings from horizon to horizon,
lighting up the earth from pole to pole.
In their wake, the thunder echoes his voice,
powerful and majestic.
He lets out all the stops, he holds nothing back.
No one can mistake that voice—
His word thundering so wondrously,
his mighty acts staggering our understanding.
He orders the snow, 'Blanket the earth!'
and the rain, 'Soak the whole countryside!'
No one can escape the weather—it's there.
And no one can escape from God. ~ Job 37:5-7, The Message

 God calls to each of us during the course of our day, through the simplicity of His creation that surrounds us. But so very often, we are deaf to His voice and blind to the austere, yet at the same time, beautifully breathtaking unexpected gifts He offers us. We can allow ourselves to become so caught up in the activity of our lives, too busy to stop and smell the roses, as they used to say when I was younger. Or we can find ourselves held captive by our electronic devices, the very items we were told would afford us more time in our days. With our ear buds firmly in place and our eyes focused onto the screens of our laptops, iPads or iPhones, we miss out on so much, foolishly hoping to find in them fulfillment and satisfaction for our emptiness, loneliness and needful longings.

So may I invite you to slow down, disconnect from all things high tech to come take a walk with me as I point out some of what God blesses us with during the 24 hours we’re allotted each day. Drink in the vibrant color palette of a magnificent sunrise or sunset. Experience the refreshing coolness of a crisp fall day after a long, stifling hot summer. Listen to the whisper of a gentle wind as it blows through the trees, tenderly caressing each leaf. Breathe in the intoxicating scent and taste the sweetness of a honeysuckle bush (does anyone remember picking honeysuckle and squeezing the nectar onto your tongue as a child?). Check out the diamond-like droplets of morning dew as it sparkles upon the grass, flower petals and leaves. Feel surprise at the sudden brushing of a colorful butterfly’s wings against your hand. Be still and take note of the hushed tranquility after a snowfall or of the spectacular light show as lightening streaks across a stormy sky. Kick back and enjoy the nighttime symphony of crickets and tree frogs or the morning chorus of a variety of birds.

These are indeed life’s simple pleasures. The awesome, unexpected gifts that we can receive if we would only open up ourselves to receive them, each one hand crafted and lovingly fashioned for us by our Creator God, the Master Artist and Designer.

I made for the countryside,
And my eyes never grew so wide,
Apple, raspberry, river blue,
I don't wanna leave without you,
In the sound I'll gladly drown,
Into the emerald underground,
And I rub my eyes 'cause it's hard to see,
Surrounded by all this beauty ~ Dreams Don't Turn To Dust, by Owl City