I had a good chat with my friend Christine Bess this week. We were discussing how unusual this season is. As Seth Godin put it: “The world is upside down, the slog continues, a tragedy unevenly but widely distributed.”
In some ways, as humans are prone to do, we often “rack and stack” people by their vocation or where they live. Lately, we have heard about “essential” and “non-essential” workers. We understand the rationale for these types of designations in some cases, but it is also an opportunity to reflect on the profound truth that every single human being is created in the image of God.
In Genesis 1:26-27, we read, “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
A few days ago, I had the opportunity to dialogue with someone who was very different than me. The encounter reminded me how much of a “bubble” I live in sometimes. It also inspired me to love as Jesus loved. We are all different and complex, but we are also all “image bearers.”
As I reflect on Rwanda, and the people that we love so dearly there, I thank God that, as an organization, we choose to value them deeply. We treasure who they are and we know that God has a purpose for every single one of them. It is an honor and a joy to be part of their journey.
In closing, I’d like to bless you with another musical gift this week. He is FOR us—astonishing! These “image bearers” brought me to tears…Thanks, Craig Glass, from Peregrine Ministries, for sharing this with me: https://youtu.be/PUtll3mNj5U Never forget that our Lord Jesus and His Church are alive and well in the midst of this pandemic!