That image of God

Far too many of us are biting, aren’t we? We’re not happy. We’re not at peace. We feel cheated, betrayed, taken advantage of. We feel we missed our chance, or never had a chance to begin with. We’re angry, sad, frustrated, and we’ve no idea what to do with ourselves.

And God isn’t helping, right? Religion tells us we should be focused on our sin, on how far from good we are, or on how much better we have it than so many others. We’re told Jesus had to die on the cross because of us, and that made it all better, but we’ve no understanding as to how. We just have this nagging thought that things shouldn’t be like this, and we’re right, they shouldn’t. And the source of that nagging thought? Well, that’s what we call the image of God within us. Remember that?

Genesis tells us we were made in God’s image, every one of us. Isn’t it strange, we learn that and just leave it there? We’re not taught to pay attention to it. We’re not taught to attend to it. We’re not taught to take it out for a spin, see what it can do.

What can it do?

It can tell us – and it is telling us – we can be a whole lot more than we are. This is why we’re biting ourselves and one another. This is why we haven’t any peace. Each of us is a great work of art in progress, and the progression is stalled.

Reflection

In what ways do you feel stalled? Are you aware of the image of God within you?

Prayer

Dear God, there is a voice within me that just isn’t satisfied, not with the world, not with my life, not with me. Instead of biting myself and others, instead of blaming, accusing, complaining, let me just look within. Let me concentrate on your image within me. Let me see what you have to say. Help me to attend, Lord. Help me to hear.