by Tiffany Lambert
I’m Not A Carbon Copy and Neither Are You
“So God created mankind in his image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.“ Gen. 1:22
Each day during creation, God looked at all that He had made and saw that it was good. As he created man and woman in his own image, He saw that it was very good. There’s a difference there, between us and the rest of creation. While everything in creation sings God’s praises and points to the beauty and depth of the Creator of the universe- nothing does so in the way that mankind does. As men and women, sons and daughters of God we were made in his image and that means we are designed to carry his attributes. Being made in the image of God is not just a warm and fuzzy idea or something that’s nice to tell ourselves, although I think we’ve relegated it to that sometimes, it carries a weight of responsibility. It is the privilege of modeling Jesus to a hurt and broken world. As believers this should change everything about how we not only understand our own value but the value of those around us. Our lives should look different. They should testify of the extreme value we have for people, because they not only reflect the image of God, they are deeply loved by Him.
We are not meant to be carbon copies or a dull lifeless image of something, we are a living, breathing, dynamic representation of God.
The first thing we learn about God in the Scriptures is that He is Creator. By His word He spoke the very earth into existence. He created not only intricate ecosystems, beautiful mountains, wildflowers and wild animals, He created us! The second thing we learn, is that we were made in His image right? This means we are the form, the likeness, the resemblance of God here on earth. If God is the ultimate creative being and we are made in his image, that means we have creativity built right in. We have it given to us as a precious gift, because God lovingly created us to reflect Him. As we tap into that creativity and partner with Holy Spirit to create, our lives should be compelling, passionate and influential. Yet sadly, I’ve heard so many people tell me “Well I’m not creative, I’m not an artist.“ This breaks my heart! Creativity isn’t relegated to only dancers, painters, or poets. We all carry the gift of creativity, and you have a creativity to bring into all areas of life- your job, your friendships, your family and everything in between. My prayer is that especially as the Church, we would come alive in this identity, that we would come alive into our creativity: to make, to reflect, and to find the beauty in this life in order to point people towards the Father.
“To create is to reflect the image of God. To create is an act of worship.“
“• Erwin Raphael McManus, The Artisan Soul