Category: Image

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Loved By God

Dear sister,

I know how you feel, I really do. No matter how hard you try to fill your deep need for approval, nothing really ‘does it’ for you. All of us sisters have been gathered ‘round this month, chatting about our imperfections and need for grace. I feel that vast pit in my soul that cries out for love, just like you do. Isn’t that what drives our image obsessions? Don’t you want someone to affirm your beauty, worth, and loveable-ness? Well, I’m grabbing your hand and we’re doing a happy-dance together, because you ARE loved! I am loved! Loved with purpose, intention, passion, and complete abandon.

Why is it that the knowledge of Christ’s sacrificial love often does not penetrate our hearts and give us rest from striving for perfection? Why do we, why do I, feel the constant compulsion to prove our worth and value in every other way than in the proven love of Christ? This question has haunted me over the years, as I’ve wrestled with the vast expanse between my knowledge of God’s love and deep belief and experience of that love. Like a windshield wiped clean in the fog, I’m starting to get a clearer picture of the mystery I’ve faced. To be frank, I’ve resisted His love. I’ve chosen to go to so many broken cisterns, and God will not compete for affection.

For My people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned Me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that cannot hold water. – Jeremiah 2:13

When we persistently chose other gods, He allows it (Romans 1). But even in giving us over to our sin, His purpose is to win us back again. God is a relentless lover, and will not give up on us. We see this clearly in the Old Testament, as Hosea the prophet is asked by God to marry the prostitute Gomer. We are just as unfaithful, sweet sisters. Every time we run to another ‘god’ for affection, approval, and worth, we turn away from God. Look at Hosea 2:6-8:

Therefore, this is what I will do: I will block her way with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so that she cannot find her paths. She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will seek them but not find them. Then she will think, “I will go back to my former husband, for then it was better for me than now.” She does not recognize that it is I who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil. I lavished silver and gold on her, which they used for Baal.

When I first read this passage, I remember being very upset that God would do such a thing, but it is true compassion that He allows the other ‘gods’ we worship to disappoint us. Because they will, sister. Perhaps you, too, find everyday idols to be so very tempting…and this includes the high opinions of others that we often desperately crave.

We also see this in 2 Corinthians 3, as Paul contrasts the Old and New Covenants. Similarly, when we strive for the perfect image, we are living under the law, but when we live in the freedom of God’s love for us, we are transformed! Have you ever seen someone in love? She’s probably glowing in the knowledge of her Beloved’s love. You sister, can have that glow too! Read in 2 Corinthians 3: 17-18:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Why not REST in the knowledge of God’s love? That has been so difficult for me to learn, and I finally threw up my hands and starting asking God to please. help. me. There’s nothing to feel badly about though, we’re all learning! We need to repent and move on to new life in Christ! In fact, Jesus even acknowledges this learning process in Matthew 11:29:

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

He’s been so faithful to help me. He has pried my hands off of so many silly obsessions and placed my eyes and heart squarely back on His face, his heart for me. It’s certainly been a journey, but I’m making small steps every day, every year. Sister, we can count on the promise of God’s never-failing love!

Abraham was promised a child, promised that He would be the father of many nations. In Genesis 15 we see that rather than giving Abraham the solution he wanted on the spot, God performed an ancient ritual that showed His commitment to keeping His promise to Abraham. In the midst of Abraham’s questions, God offered him what he offers us all: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

God’s love is the shield that protects us from the lie that we need to perform to win approval. God himself is the reward we crave, not the perfect appearance we are striving for. We’ll be delving into this deep ocean of love for the rest of our lives, but start the journey now. Ask God to take away the idols that require so much of you. You will never satisfy the demands you or others place on you for image-perfection. It’s time to turn in your resignation as Image Consultant and start day one as Beloved Daughter of the Most High God!

Loved by God~ your sister,

Ruth

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Reflections

My Dearest Sister,

I have a confession to make: I am a recovering perfectionist. My desire to be the absolute best I could be used to have a great hold on me and nowhere was it more evident than in my school work. I’ve always loved learning, but at some point in my college experience an obsession with being a straight-A student took over. I absolutely had to do well in school; There was no alternative. I was so determined to be the perfect student that I would spend hours upon hours studying and doing research for papers, always making sure I was impressing my teachers with what I could accomplish. Most of the time I succeeded, until one fateful poetry class broke my long-running streak. I had completed the mountains of exercises and writing assignments with as much effort as I could muster yet still only received a B.

It may not seem like a big deal to some people, but I was very disappointed at the time. Just like that, my record as a perfect student was tarnished and there was nothing I could do about it. I tried to justify it with excuses, like the teacher had expected too much of us or the grading scale hadn’t been fair, but the truth is I just wasn’t a very good poet. In short, I was not perfect. This was a hard truth to accept because back then, if I looked in a mirror I didn’t just see myself; I saw a good student who was smart and always got A’s. It wasn’t until that perfect image of myself was shattered, that I realized just how much of my identity it had become.

Today when I look in a mirror, there are a host of new images to contend with: perfect wife, loving mother, crafty homemaker, good cook, helpful friend, and talented writer, just to name a few. There is a lot of pressure these days to be perfect, and the route of stay at home mom is no exception. There’s always something to improve, something at which to try harder. Sometimes it just feels like too much to handle. And do you know what? It is. You see, sister, the world has deeply and tragically lied to us. It’s told us that having a good image is a necessity for happiness. What we fail to realize is that this way of thinking is as old as sin itself. What is dwelling on one’s own importance other than the same wickedness that led Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit so they could be like God?

The truth is, our identity is not the one that matters. As the apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Beloved, this should be our heart’s cry! Once we become new creatures in Christ, our lives are no longer ours alone. We become a living vessel for Christ and no matter where we go or what we do, we represent Him. This means that instead of striving to be a perfect student, we should be a student who loves Christ. Instead of trying to be the best wife in the world we should be a wife who loves Christ. The same goes for our role as a mother, a daughter, an employee, a homemaker, or whatever other roles God has given us. And do you know, it’s ironic what happens next. When we put Christ first in our lives, we are more equipped to handle those roles than we ever were on our own.

2 Corinthians 3:18 sums it all up pretty well: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as if in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” When I look in a mirror, I want to see a woman who loves Christ, nothing else. I don’t have to be the perfect wife or mom or writer or friend, because not only is trying to maintain a perfect image exhausting, it does nothing to add to the kingdom of God. Rather, it takes away from it by turning the focus to me. The only way to turn the focus back to Him is by living my life in a way that reflects His glory, not my own.

So, sister, I have one question left for you: Who do you see when you look in the mirror?

In His Love,
~ Lauren

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God’s Very Righteousness

Dear Sisters,

Who am I? Who do people see? Who does my family see? What image does God see when He looks at me? How much of my appearance contributes to reality or a charade? I confess to my own confusion and frustration by these questions. I know what the ‘pat’ answers to the questions are—but what is the truth?

The Greek Word, eikōn “image” means that which resembles something, represents that thing—not in the sense of a coincidental resemblance, or a similarity, but an actual relation of one to the other. For instance, “And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation.” Col. 1:15. Jesus is part of the God-head. In seeing Jesus, we see God.
On the contrary, appearance is simply my outward aspect. I have a tendency to confuse the importance of the two. My image in Christ should be manifestly more important than what I wear to a party or how ‘the Jones’ view my house. What does God see when He looks at me (and into me)? Thankfully, as a believer, He sees Jesus, “yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach” Col. 1:22.

But our image does not stop at simply being cleaned. Paul continues, “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Col. 3:1-3. So, we should keep our minds with Christ where our lives already are, and catch this—we become God’s very righteousness: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” II Cor. 5:21. How is that for an image? Not only have we been washed clean from our sinful filthiness, His blood covers us so thoroughly that His righteousness is imparted to us as well! Who needs that ‘little black dress’ now?!

Running with you,
Rebecca

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Image Redeemed

Dearest sister,

While reading Genesis I was sweetly reminded that we are made in the image of God. Not only this but God breathed into man the breath of life. Everything else He simply spoke into being. But Adam He breathed into life. Wow! Living in the garden, Adam and Eve enjoyed unadulterated communion with the Lord God. They talked with Him, walked with Him, and were unashamed before Him. Just imagine what that must have been like!

But as we continue reading Genesis we come to a pivotal point in the narrative. The serpent approaches Eve, deceives her, and Eve falls (along with her husband) into sin and darkness. Now when they hear the Lord’s voice they are afraid and hide from Him.

Dear sister, let me share with you a situation that arose in my life that reminded me of how far I fall short of reflecting God’s glory. On Thursday I drove a perfectly suitable car with a clear view out of the windshield to and from work. That night I heard a loud crashing noise right outside my window. I opened the front door only to find tree limbs at my doorstep and a giant tree trunk on my car! Thankfully, there was no structural damage but my windshield was completely shattered.

Just how in one moment I went from being the proud owner of a drivable car to bumming a ride to work the next morning, so too did Eve go from perfectly reflecting the image of God to reflecting a shattered image that could not be distinguished.

Because of Eve’s disobedience, the image of God that we still bear is now tainted with sin and its consequences of guilt, shame and fear. We can no longer see Christ clearly through the temples that the Lord designed for us.

Thankfully we are not without hope. In order to redeem His image in us, God sent His Son Jesus to perfectly reflect God’s character—a feat we are unable to accomplish because of sin. Now, those who have Christ in their lives are new creations. And as we are cleansed from our unrighteousness, we are becoming more and more like Christ.

Second Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” And Romans 8:29 assures us that “those whom [Christ] foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

These two verses state two truths. 1) we are new creations, and 2) we will be conformed to the image of Christ because those in Him have been predestined to become like Him.

Let us look forward to this new year as we lean on Him to produce in us a character that reflects the perfections of Christ.

Your Sister in Christ,

Kayla

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Imagined Image

Dear Sister,
I’m guilty. Are you? I often live my life according to how I think others think of me. I have no idea what they are truly thinking, but that does not matter. My image is formed by imagined thoughts of others. As a kid, my image was determined by having the “in” shoes and style for the first day of school, having good grades for my parents, being the best soccer player I could, and being at every church function available. My teenage image had all of those but added the desire to be liked by popular guys and girls. Onto college and my image morphed into being the most perfect person I could: from daughter to student to Christian. You see, I wanted the perfect perceived image inside and out. I wanted to make everyone happy and feel comfortable around me. Now as an “adult” my image is still formed by what I think others are thinking about me: I need to be a good mother, hot wife, best lover, best friend, thoughtful, servant hearted, and hospitable to others. At other times I want others to imagine (ha) me as not caring about any of these things so I become apathetic. This gave me a humble image, right? Are you tired? Phew I was/am. I honestly almost died trying to meet this imagined image of myself. I became anorexic and was sent away for two months to begin healing and repenting of this sinful pattern of life where I lived for an imagined image rather than for the image for which I was created. Genesis 1:26a says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’” Hmmm…there is nothing in there about looks, ability, grades, or perfection. It says that our image is determined by the Trinity, not by what we think other human’s think of us. Our worth is being made in the image of God. But wait, there is more!!!

Sin tarnished our image forever, but God has told us in His Word that He made a way for our image to be restored once and for all eternity. He sent Jesus to live a perfect life and die for all sin once and for all. He rose again conquering sins penalty of death so those who put their trust in Christ will be forgiven and their image will be restored to what is was in the garden. Look at what Paul says of the image of the believer in Ephesians 1:3-14

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard he word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee4 of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

Holy cow! Do you see this? Paul is reminding believers of their identity because we forget it!

• He has blessed us in Christ with EVERY spiritual blessing
• He chose us before the foundation of the world
• We are holy and blameless because of Christ
• We are adopted into the family of God and have full inheritance
• We have redemption, we are no longer slaves to sin, we have been saved into a family because of Christ
• We are FORGIVEN of all past, present, and future sin to the riches of His grace
• He LAVISHED his grace on us

I could go on and on…and Paul does in every letter to churches. He reminds the believers in the churches of what their image truly is before correcting behavior or addressing questions. Why? Because I forget the gospels meaning and power in my life. I try to form my imagined image on my own instead of remembering who we are in Christ and letting that form my image.

Sweet sister, we act like we believe. If we believe that our imagined image is what is important, then we work at it with all our might! We buy certain shoes and clothes, we join certain groups, we eat certain food, and we behave in a certain way. I pray this New Year we will all stop. Stop letting things and behavior determine our imagined image. I pray that we will actively think on what our image truly is: we are created in God’s image with intrinsic value, we were bought with a price, we are adopted, forgiven, showered with grace and mercy, loved, and have an inheritance, all to the Praise of His glory! Now act accordingly!

Your Sister in Christ,

Colleen