Beautifully Created in God’s Image

In 2017, the word beauty has a variety of meanings. When people think about the meaning of beauty, what usually comes to mind is something that is pleasing and attractive to the eye. Such as a person, clothing, nature, or a physical object. When looking up the word beauty, it is defined as a combination of qualities such as, shape, color, or form, and that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight. Today, we measure beauty by how we look, the latest fashion trends, and material possessions we can obtain. We are such fickle people and look to beauty to find fulfillment in our lives. We often compare our beauty to other people and look down on others who we deem as ugly or that don’t look like us. But when have we stopped and looked at beauty in its truest form. Realizing that God created us each uniquely beautiful in our own way as we are God’s masterpiece. For we truly are God’s masterpiece. “He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” Ephesians 5:21.

 In Genesis 1:26-27, God states that us humans have been created in His very own Image. “Then God said, let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. So, God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God, He created them; male and female, He created them.” When God said, He created us in His own image this does not just mean we are to have the character of God, but we as humans are created physically to mirror God’s image. The make-up of our bodies, the features of our face, the precise of each of our body parts were created God’s image. And what God creates is always beautiful, as God is the ultimate artist. Psalms 139:13-14 states; “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”  Therefore, we as humans have no right to talk negatively about a person’s physical appearance for we were all created in the Image of God. For to talk negatively about ones’ appearance is to talk negatively about God Himself, and His creations. But sadly, we as humans talk negatively about others appearances all the time. I’m so guilty of this very sin. I pray That God gives me, gives all of us the ability to see the beauty of His creation in every person. 

So, if we know that we each are created beautifully in God’s image, what causes us to hate our fellow brother or sister because they look different then us? We live in world were people hate others due to the color of their skin or their look. We live in a society that has a certain standard of beauty and if you don’t fit that standard you are an outcast from the norm. With this hate in people’s hearts, people have been enslaved, treated unjustly, and looked down upon just because we all don’t look the same. We judge people by the color of their skin and turn our noises up in the air if they look different then us. It’s a sin to treat other badly just because they don’t look like you. It’s also a sin to be a mere bystander and not do anything when you see people acting on hate of others due to differences. By doing so you are nonverbally saying you accept and agree on the premise that it is ok to hate another human due to their differences; and walk by the sin since the hate does not involve you. Romans 2:11 states that God has no favoritism.  In Acts 10:34-35 Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.”  If God who created us all has no favoritism for His creations, then we as human beings need to put aside our judgmental ways, humble ourselves, and realize that we are all created equal! Not one person is better than the other. But we are called to treat each other with love and respect, as we all are created by the one and only God. We all bleed the same.

To truly see each person for who they are, to understand their culture and how we each are created in God’s own image; we must cast out sin of hate towards others and treat each other the same. We must pray that God heals our land and removes hate from our heart. “Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land. Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God” Leviticus 19:33-34. We must have the same love for our brother and sisters who come from different nations and ethnicities. In fact, God commands us to love each other. “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these” Mark 12:31. Therefore, I’m challenging all of us to put aside the hate we have for other nations and races, to put aside our bias and to get to know people for who they truly are, and to put aside the killing and hurting of other races. We need to no longer take sides and realize that we must come together to end the division. To put aside this foolish fighting that gets us nowhere, as we are all the same inside. No matter the race and ethnicity, we all bleed the same. We are all beautifully created in God’s image.

 

With love,

 

Courtney Neal