Imago Dei. The words were written in Sharpie on my wrist, living there for several weeks at the beginning of this year. Whether I had read the phrase in a book or where I had seen it, I'm not sure, but this time it really caught my eye and I wanted it to keep catching my eye.
Image of God. Who I am.
Fast forward to October and we started a 4-week series on Imago Dei at church. I love when God gives you something and then later confirms it in another way, and that's what this sermon series has been to me.
The beginning --
For me, my physical appearance has always been the source of identity struggle for me. Literally placing too much weight on how I look or how others might perceive me, I perseverate on everything but who I was created to be. Pregnancy didn't help, because I loved being pregnant most days but people's constant comments about my appearance filled my mind and made me start questioning appearances yet again - "Look at your belly!" "Do you have twins in there?" "Your face didn't get as full as other peoples' do" and on and on. We say things innocently enough but place burdens on people with ill-thought-out words.
All around me, people are struggling with identity and viewing their worth through the lens of their accomplishments, their sexuality, their possessions, their politics, and everything else that is not everlasting.
And this isn't just people who don't attend church. This is people who love Jesus. In fact some of the people who would say they are Christians are some of the most insecure people I've ever met (including myself some days!)
The Problem --
The enemy's (satan) #1 goal is to steal our identity. He knows that if he can steal our identity, he can distract us from making a difference in the world. - Pastor Craig
The fruit of identifying ourselves OUTSIDE the lens of Imago Dei:
- bitterness
- defensiveness
- cynicism
- anxiety
- depression
- confusion
- selfishness
- anger
- distrust
- defeat
- mean-spiritedness
- gossip
- jealousy
- pride
- addiction
- disgrace
- loneliness
In the actual beginning --
Genesis 1:27 says
"So God created man in His own image;
He created him in the image of God;
He created them male and female."
We didn't just appear from thin air, or even get spoken into being, like the rest of the earth did. We were delicately formed and divinely created. Not only that, we were given the image of God himself.
How to Frame our Identity through the Lens of God --
"Spiritual identity means we are not what we do or what people say about us. And we are not what we have. We are the beloved daughters and sons of God." - Henri Nouwen
Get validation from the right source.
"The ONLY one who can reveal my identity is the Father (God)." - Pastor Jon
Spend time in the Word of God (Psalms, the Gospels, Galatians, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Corinthians are good places to start). Social media can never give you enough likes to leave a lasting validation. People only telling you what you want to hear doesn't bring soul fulfillment. Only the Word of God can speak into your heart and call you into who you are becoming.
Walk in freedom from the bondage of the past and choose not to be a victim to circumstances.
We have the power over our actions and responses. No one can take that from us. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel. There is healing and wholeness for you and me. We are worthy of healthy relationships with God, ourselves, and those around us. We are not stuck in one place, but are growing and becoming more like Christ. There is power in resilience!
Learn how to speak life with words.
What we speak with our mouth makes a difference. Life and death are in the power of the tongue.
Nothing taught this to me as much as when I was speaking affirmations out loud when I was in labor. "My body was made to do hard things." "I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength." "Peace and calm, peace and calm, peace and calm." My body visibly relaxed and rested into the contractions as I spoke. The truth of the words spoke life into my body and helped me walk through the difficult moments.
I've read books (shout out to Breaking Free from Body Shame by Jess Connolly) and muddled through mindsets and now with my post-baby body (surprisingly enough), I'm finally at a healthier mindset of correcting feelings of "I'm not good enough" with My body is strong and made to do good things and then working towards using my body to walk and hike and move and nourishing it well. You know what is happening? Life is coming forth - my body, mind, spirituality, and emotions are healthier.
Whatever lies that whisper in your mind, write them down. Then write truths to combat them and speak them out loud.
Live selflessly.
"Pursue your happiness" and "follow your heart" are lies. They keep the focus on us.
Jesus is the ultimate example of healthy selflessness. Healthy selflessness knows how to set boundaries and be obedient to the voice of God at the same time. You want to see examples? Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus pulled away and rested and spent time with his Father and friends. Then Jesus leaned in and healed and loved and spoke truth.
When we take the focus off of ourselves, we carry the light to dark places. We speak hope into hopeless situations. We love people with our actions and not just our words.
“Clearly, the advice of making our happiness the primary aim of our work isn’t working. For the Christian, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Why? Because this advice is out of line with Jesus’s example to serve rather than be served.” - Jordan Raynor, Master of One: Find and Focus on the Work You Were Created to Do
Embracing the Image of God as our identity produces good fruit in our lives and ultimately changes the world.
- love
- joy
- peace
- patience
- kindness
- goodness
- faithfulness
- self-control
- selflessness
- encouragement
- creativity
- trust
- security
When we know WHO we were created by (God), HOW we were created (formed intentionally), and WHY we were created (bring the kingdom of God to the earth), we are too busy doing what we were created to do -- worshiping God, blessing others, and creating -- to be intimidated, threatened, or distracted by other people's success or failures.
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