A recent Sunday at church, I found myself listening with my ears and responding with my heart...
"No human can actually give another human worth...that's God's job. And better yet, He's already done that. He created you, each of you in His image," said my attractive pastor while sharing his heart to our church. (whom I have the privilege of being married to).
I heard what Handsome K had to say, I began to think of the times, especially in my youth, that I struggled with allowing humans to give me worth or take it from me. I remember the mean words that I would hear and sometimes speak about people to fit in. I remember my best friend and I encouraging one another that these light and momentary troubles are not too big for God to handle and help us through. In my naive young life, I couldn't imagine anything harder than not making cheerleader or not having a date to 9th grade prom (that is way to young to have a prom, right?). I couldn't imagine anything worse than seeing some friends I love become distant in my life later in high school. I let people give me worth off and on (and still can) in my life, then I would hear the words of my best friend spoken from an encouraging heart that would help me to remember, "the world doesn't give us worth."
I thought about my past.
I thought about my future.
I thought about my precious innocent kids' future.
I prayed that the Lord would protect their passions and their purity; their innocence and integrity, as I often pray every night and each morning.
I added something that I will forever be praying for my little loves from now on...
I prayed that they would understand that they are Imago Dei...the image of God, little bearers of God's image, made in His likeness...no human can really give them their worth or tell them who they are...God has already decided that.
I thought about the ramifications of knowing and believing that God is the only one who can tell us who we are. I thought about how different their future decisions and confidence will be if they move and grow and believe they are made in God's image, He gives them their worth and tells them who they are.
I pray that Little K, Princess K, and Baby K all believe deep down in their being that they are made in the image of God, they are indeed Imago Dei.
Little K has been participating in communion with our church, after accepting Jesus, for a couple months and this week happened to be one of those weeks. Handsome K lead us to take a moment while we were taking communion and use the marker to write "IMAGO DEI" on our hand to remind us about our identity in Christ. I jogged out to get Little K from his classroom to join me as usual.
When we got to the front at the communion table, I knelt down to explain to him what the marker was for and ask him if he wanted it on his hand. I told him that people don't get to tell you who you are, God does. This will remind us how we are made, who we are made.
He looked in my eyes and said, "Mom will you write it on my arm so it will stay longer."
With tears in my eyes, I wrote IMAGO DEI on my 6 year old's arm and prayed with all my heart that he learns what this means and it affects him the rest of his earthly life.
I pray the same for each of my children, that as God said long ago, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over...all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26)
That my children believe in the Lord and are saved and believe that no human can give them their identity or worth.
