“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27 NIV
One afternoon, my daughter climbed into my vehicle and began to explain how utterly upset she was in regards to a comment made to her by someone close to her. This particular comment was intended to be a compliment regarding her appearance. However, it was said in a light that brought shame regarding my daughter’s own personal body image. These words, though harmless in intent, were a reflection of how this particular individual perceived beauty. However, to a preteen, these words were devastating. The words of this individual cut my daughter like a dagger. Why? The person, from which these words came, though intended from a place of love, was also framed by a worldly perception of beauty. As a mother, it is extremely difficult to make a preteen young lady believe that she is perfect and beautiful in her own unique way. Even as adults, we all at some point struggle with our own personal image.
What if we began to shift our perspective by viewing ourselves in the image that we were created to be? The Bible states in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Too often we forget this important fact. To be created in the image of God is to be created in the image of perfection. Let that sink in. We are made perfect through His image. We have identity rooted in the Creator that supersedes all worldly expectations. This is an absolute, incredible truth! Yet, we often forget this truth when distracted by the deceptions of the world. Ephesians 2:10 explains that, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” As God’s creation and as believers in Christ, we have a responsibility to live out this belief. We must allow our desire, focus, and purpose to radiate as a reflection of God’s love. Only then will we be able to portray true beauty as we allow His perfect image to be seen in us by how we portray His Glory to the world.
After an hour of conversation with my daughter about reinforcing biblical concepts of beauty, I spoke to her words that created conviction in me. Have you ever experienced a moment where you end up preaching to yourself? I said, “We all have things that are important to us; things that we focus on. Here is the meaningful part about all of this. YOU get to choose what is important to you. YOU get to choose where you will spend your thoughts, your time, your efforts, and your energy. As a result, your life will be a reflection of your choices.”
There are many things that each of us consider important and necessary in our lives. However, it is what we choose to make priority that ultimately gains the majority of our focus and attention. Naturally, what we choose to make priority tends to prosper. We must take care to ensure that these choices bring out godly values rather than worldly values. In all, we must continually seek to embrace our own unique image as a reflection of God’s perfect design. As mothers and as children of God, we can begin to live out this image by making Christ the focus in our own lives. Then, what we pour into our children naturally becomes a reflection of just that… a reflection of Christ.
Your fellow Able Mom,
Pastor Donna Shaw
Thank you God for loving us and creating us in a way that is most pleasing to you.
Help us to see your beauty within us and to not allow worldly distractions to
steer us away from your presence. Amen.
Connect with Pastor Donna:
www.weakdayministries.com
Email: weakdayministries@gmail.com
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