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Resemblance
"How are you like God?"
The question startled me. No, more than that, it bothered me. My mind went blank, refusing to wrap itself around the concept that I could be anything like God. The same must have been true of everyone else, because the entire Sunday School class fell silent.
"No, I mean it," insisted the leader. "The Bible says
you were created in God's image. What does that mean?"
It bothered me not to be able to come up with anything, so I decided to
dig. In his commentary on Genesis, Matthew Henry points out that when
God created the world, He spoke with authority. But when He said, "Let
us make man in our image, in our likeness..." He spoke with affection.
I like that. This creation was to be different from everything that had
been made up to that point. This creature would resemble his Creator,
and he would be able to commune with Him.
Henry goes on to say that, "The soul of man, considered in its three noble faculties, understanding, will, and active power, is perhaps the brightest clearest looking-glass in nature, wherein to see God."
Unfortunately, this creature used his noble faculties to disobey God, and much changed after his fall. I believe the silence in our Sunday School class testified to that. Yet there is reason to rejoice - salvation is in essence the process of restoring the image of God in us.
We may have trouble seeing it, but even now little things hint at the image of our Creator in us. As I pondered before the Lord how we resemble Him, a simple trait came into my mind: The satisfaction of a job well done. When we complete something that we have put time and effort into and look back at the finished product, we can say, "This is good." And we enjoy a feeling of satisfaction. That is an echo of the One who looked back after each day of creation "and saw that it was good."
There are glimmers now... the full image is coming.
-Maria Lund