A Note from Pastor Chelsea
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." -Genesis 1:27
Do you ever pause and marvel at these words?
You and I are made in God's image. Whoa!
The Creator of the universe designed each one of us to be his image-bearers. That means that within every one of us, there is a reflection of God.
When your co-worker is on your last nerve, do you pause and think, "You're a reflection of God!"?
When your child is pestering you about the same issue for the umpteenth time, do you pause and think, "You're a reflection of God!"?
When your family member disappoints you, when your best friend betrays you, when your neighbor ignores you - do you pause and think, "You're a reflection of God!"?
I'm going to be honest with you - I sure don't!
No, instead - and more often than I'd care to admit - I succumb to the temptations of pettiness and frustration and anger - instead of pausing to believe the best about the other party and to remember, "Hey, they are made in God's image too, even if it is a little hard for me to see that right now!"
On Wednesday evenings at Club KiX, we are walking through the book The Treasure Tree by John Trent. It tells the story of four animal friends who receive a treasure map for their birthday and how each friend is uniquely wired to help on the journey.
There's Lance the Lion, who is sometimes brash and rushed, but is a great leader full of determination. There's Giggles the Otter, who can be a little too overly excitable, but is the life of the party and full of joy. There's Honey the Golden Retriever, who is prone to worry, but genuinely cares about others. And finally, there's Chewy the Beaver, who can get too caught up in the details, but pays careful attention and is committed to doing a job correctly.
As the story progresses, kids discover how the four friends all need each other in order to reach the titular treasure tree. We're only in week 2, but we're already seeing how our kids are finding themselves reflected in these characters. We've even done a quick assessment so kids can discover which animal they are most like. (And - how fun is this - our four Club KiX leaders each test as a different one of the animals!)
Last night, I asked one young man if he could identify the personalities of his siblings. He immediately rattled them off - and hit the nail on the head, I might add - but had trouble with the sibling he tends to disagree with the most. I pointed out that they were similar personality types and that's why they butt heads a bit more. You could almost see the figurative light bulb above head ignite with understanding!
All of us are made in God's image - and yet, in his infinite wisdom and creativity, God made each of us reflect his image in different ways. This diversity is a wonderful, necessary, beautiful thing and makes life so much richer!
So, the next time you find yourself frustrated with a friend or family member, I hope you'll take a moment to and remember they are designed in God's image. I hope you'll celebrate that God has created us all uniquely. And I hope you'll praise him, just as David does in Psalm 139:
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." -Psalm 139:14