“Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1:3 NKJV)
“Then God said, Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us…” (Genesis 1:26a NLT).
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12;30-31 BSB)
I am persuaded that “image” is one of the most important, aspects of how we live our lives. Based on my perception of “image”, I will interpret God, myself, and others. It shapes how I perceive everything around me. It influences how I read Scripture, and how I react to the things that happen in my life. For example, when I read the Bible (especially the Old Testament), and see all of the things that happened back in the Old Covenant, I interpret what I read based on my image of God. When things happen in my life, so often I interpret them through my image of God, myself, and other people.
When I see God as being an angry, judgmental Ruler, bent on destruction and judgment then I will read the Old Testament and interpret it in one way. I will perceive life experiences one way. However, if I see God as a loving, good, forgiving Father, longing to bless, redeem, restore, and reconcile, then I will read the accounts in a whole different way. I will also react differently to what I experience.
How I see myself will shape everything in my life. It will color my world as I navigate my way through the life that I live. Do I think I deserve to be mistreated and abused? Do I think that because of who I am, I am entitled to more than those around me? When I look in the mirror who, and/or what, do I see? How I see myself (my “self image”) will influence how I treat myself and those around me.
How do I see the people that I meet each day? How I relate to my friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, boss, etc., will be guided by the way that I perceive their value (image). Do I judge their value based on my opinion of their choices and actions? Do I reject them because they are not like me? Do I project an expected “image” of who, and what, I think they should be based on my current image of God and myself? These are some tough questions to deal with.
In my next few entries I will share some life changing things that Daddy is teaching me about “image”. Stay tuned as we move from the foundation of…
Eric’s Life Lesson # 188: “Can You See Me Now?” (Peering through the Looking Glass of “Image”)