Genesis 1:26-27
“Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule of the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over the whole earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them: male and female He created them.”
“The unexamined life is not worth living” – Socrates.
Socrates’ statement is as true today as it was over 2,000 years ago, but why is this so? From the first days of creation to our present day, man has been examining life and its purpose. We have asked questions like: Why are we here? Where did we come from? Why is there evil? Why must we die? Why do bad things happen to good people? What is the duty of man? Questions…Questions…. Questions….so many questions. We come in this world knowing nothing, and thus begins our quest for knowledge.
However, when God created man and woman (before sin entered The Garden of Eden) there were no questions. There was just relationship. My blog is titled “Designed in the Image,” because I believe that we are beings designed in the image of God. What a powerful statement, a statement that has been said about nothing else in creation!
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about the word “design” is purpose, and in my opinion, this is never clearer than when you look at your own physical body. It is a truly remarkable creation. All the systems of the body have been designed to work together to sustain life. The most microscopic cell has purpose and function. Even in situations where one system may fail, God designed secondary and tertiary backups, if you will, to aid the failing system. Your body is evidence of a God who has designed every fiber of your being to have purpose. However, a body without a spirit is dead, and I cannot think of a more intimate visual image in the Bible than when the God of the Universe gave us our spirit.
It is written in Genesis 2:7, “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.”
Imagine how close one has to be to breathe into a person’s nostrils. The God of the Universe got face to face with his creation. Close enough to breathe life (or Spirit) in our body.
As Fred Rogers would say in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, “You matter to me…there is no one in the whole world like you…and I like you just the way you are!” That is how the God of the universe feels about you! No one else has the same fingerprint as you.
So, in my first blog post, I would just like for you to take the time to reflect on the uniqueness that is you and know only you have the ability to leave your fingerprint on this world!
