What does it mean to be an image-bearer of God? The phrase image of God, often referred to as imago Dei, comes from the very first book of the Bible. In Genesis 1:26, after creating the whole world from nothing, God turns his attention to something extraordinary: “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us,” God declares. (nlt).
Ten years ago, our pastor said these words: “You can’t out-give God.” After some conversation, my husband and I decided to test the theory. It started with giving 10% of our paycheck. We saw the Biblical call to tithing and recognized the privilege of being able to look back over thousands of years and untold amounts of people across the globe giving their first and best to the Lord. Deciding that they had already proven the hypothesis, we stepped in. We were just starting our marriage and careers. We had small incomes and big loans. When we added up what we owed and what was coming in, there was no extra.
No matter your age, God has uniquely gifted you to help others. Maybe you have the gift of words and can encourage another hurting heart. Perhaps you have the gift of hospitality and your inviting home welcomes and spreads joy to someone else. It could be that you have other talents: teaching, serving, wisdom, faith, organizing…These special gifts are not for us, but to bless others. In 1 Peter 4:10, it says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” How has God uniquely wired you?
No doubt you have heard of the prolific writer, Anne Lamott. And perhaps you don’t fully agree with 100% of her theological stances– I know I don’t. But it cannot be denied that she was blessed with the gift of the pen. Since reading various works of her canon, there remains one beautiful nugget of wisdom that I return to time and again: “If you want to have loving feelings today, do loving things.” Though this particular quote is attributed to Lamott independent from her books, she revisits this mantra in much of her published writing: “If you want to feel loving, I coached myself, do something loving” (Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith).
I look through a Pikachu birthday banner, beyond the Christmas tree adorned with a smorgasbord of kid-crafted and delicate ornaments, and see the built-in entertainment center spanning from wall to wall of our living room. It’s still unfinished. There’s shiplap barn doors to build, wreaths to buy, and chalk-paint to cover the full lower half.