Last week, I shared something deeply personal about the struggles I have carried silently for much of my life.
As I reflected on Psalm 139, I found such precious comfort in knowing that God sees and knows us completely, even when others misunderstand us.
But this led me to reflect on something else.
How often do we allow our struggles, experiences, achievements, or even other people’s opinions to shape how we see ourselves?
And when all these things are stripped away, who are we really?
Whose voice have we allowed to define us? And why have we given that voice so much authority over our lives?
As I wrestled with these questions, I found myself going right back to the beginning.
To Genesis.
Whose Image Do We Bear?
In Genesis 1:26, God says:
“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.”
Two Hebrew words are used here.
Tselem (צֶלֶם), meaning image or representation, and demut (דְּמוּת), meaning likeness or resemblance.
Now, here is something fascinating!
In the ancient world, images of kings could be placed in their territories to represent their authority.
And here, in Genesis, God declares that mankind is created in HIS image!
Let that sink in for a moment.
We were created not merely to exist in God’s world, but to represent Him in it!
To live under His authority, care for His creation, and reflect something of who He is.
When Sin Entered the Picture
We were created to enjoy fellowship with God. Yet sin brought separation, shame, fear, and hiding.
After Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from the very God with whom they had enjoyed such intimate fellowship!
Yet despite humanity’s fall, God’s image was not erased!
Genesis 9:6 and James 3:9 affirm that human beings still bear His image.
Sin has marred how we reflect Him. And we cannot restore ourselves to right fellowship with God through our own efforts.
We need a Redeemer.
JESUS!
Jesus, the Perfect Image of God
Colossians 1:15 tells us that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God.”
We were created in God’s image, but Jesus IS the perfect image of God!
It is through knowing Jesus that we come to understand what it truly means to bear God’s image.
How?
Jesus reveals the Father to us!
In Him, we see God’s holiness, love, compassion, mercy, righteousness, and truth perfectly expressed.
And the more I come to know Jesus by actively engaging with Him, the more I realise how little I understood about what it truly means to bear God’s image!
Knowing Him is not merely about accumulating information about His character.
It is about being with Him in daily communion. As I get to know Him more, I begin to understand myself more deeply and surrender more freely to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, who makes me increasingly like Jesus.
But how does that happen?
Not Refurbished. Made New!
And this is where Titus 3:5 becomes so precious!
“He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
Regeneration!
In biology, regeneration involves restoring back to full function.
But what God does in us through Jesus is even more extraordinary!
At salvation, when we place our faith in Jesus, leaning the entire weight of our lives upon Him (this is not merely about intellectual agreement, folks!), He makes us brand NEW!
Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”
Not merely an improved version of the old! A NEW creation!
Now, my husband and I are currently planning a bathroom renovation.
And let me tell you, we don’t want the old fixtures simply polished up and put back!
We want them removed and replaced with something new!
We are putting so much thought into redesigning this space. And I can only imagine God doing something infinitely more wonderful in us as He gives us new life and begins reshaping our hearts and minds!
A heart that beats for Him and a mind increasingly focused on Him in wholehearted devotion!
Yet there is more!
He gives us His Holy Spirit!
God does not leave us to manage this transformation by ourselves.
The Holy Spirit continues revealing what needs to change, refining our character and transforming us into the likeness of Jesus.
He does the painful pruning in us so that through this continuing process, called sanctification, we become more and more like Him.
We Become Children of God!
John 1:12 tells us that to all who receive Jesus and believe in His Name, He gives the right to become children of God.
Children of God!
We all bear God’s image through creation. But through faith in Jesus Christ, we are given the extraordinary privilege of becoming His children!
Romans 8:15–17 tells us that we receive the Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”
We are not merely forgiven.
We are welcomed into His family!
When I gave my life to Jesus at around eighteen, the Lord impressed this very precious promise upon my heart:
“Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD cares for me.” (Psalm 27:10)
God knew the dysfunctional family in which I had been raised.
He knew there would be seasons when I would long for a father’s wise guidance or a mother’s tender love and would not find them in my earthly parents.
Yet He always cared.
Every. Single. Time.
But the most precious truth is this:
I belong to Him!
He is my Heavenly Father. And I am His daughter!
This identity was given to me through Jesus Christ!
And I am still learning to live each day in the light of this extraordinary truth.
Living From Our Identity in Christ
Nothing in this world can give us the belonging we receive through Christ.
Ephesians 2:8–10 reminds us that salvation is God’s gift. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Notice the order!
God does the work of salvation. Our good works flow from what He has already done in us.
We do not work to earn an identity. We live and work from the identity He has already given us.
When God Takes Us Beyond Our Limitations
Over and over again in recent years, God has led me into situations that stretch me far beyond my comfort zone.
For years, I have struggled with symptoms of social anxiety. These struggles are real, and taking such steps is anything but easy!
I have stepped into unfamiliar projects, sometimes feeling as though I have jumped into the deep end and must learn to swim as I go!
But what people don’t always see is how much I depend upon God as I take those steps.
He has given me abilities, knowledge, and experience. But none of these is where my confidence ultimately rests.
My confidence is in Him!
It has been one great big adventure with Him!
And oh, how exciting it has been!
I have come to know Him more deeply through each step of obedience.
And the adventure continues!
Even as I write this, I have just received an unexpected invitation to lead an online Bible study for women, beginning this weekend!
I wasn’t looking for this opportunity. And I feel deeply humbled.
Once again, God is inviting me to trust Him beyond my limitations!
I keep returning to Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:9:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Hallelujah!!
My social anxiety hasn’t disappeared. But I don’t want it to have the final say over my obedience.
I belong to Jesus. And I want Him to have the final say!
What about you, my friend?
Is there something God is asking you to do, but you are waiting until you feel confident enough or ready enough?
Could He be inviting you to depend upon Him, even in the midst of your fears?
My abilities, weaknesses, opportunities, and future are all His.
And I want to be His willing instrument, wherever He chooses to place me.
Becoming More Like the One to Whom We Belong
Second Corinthians 3:18 tells us that as we behold the Lord’s glory, we are being transformed into His image by the Spirit.
We are transformed as we behold Him!
As we spend time with Him, delighting in His Word, surrendering to the Holy Spirit, and walking in obedience.
This is something that has become increasingly precious to me.
I love how the Lord sometimes wakes me up around three or four in the morning to tarry in His presence.
I don’t go to bed with an alarm clock turned on.
Instead, I pray, “Lord, will You wake me up tomorrow so I can talk with You?”
And there are mornings when I wake up so early, with a deep desire to pray and intercede, that I can spend hours in His presence without feeling tired at all!
Our bathroom is my little “war room”, where I can pray, intercede, pace around, worship, and sing!
And when I sit with God’s Word, I feel like a kid in a candy store, wandering through the aisles in awe, wanting to take in everything!
Except this is one feast that never makes me sick!
It only makes me hungrier!
Other mornings, God makes me sleep longer.
And I must confess, I get a bit annoyed because my quiet time is now shorter than I had hoped!
But this is a relationship with a real Person!
Oh, what a privilege it is to know Him!
And I don’t come into His presence to earn His approval or prove that I am a good Christian.
I come because I am His daughter. And I love spending time with my Father!
My Friends, Remember Whose You Are!
My friends, YOU are unique!
Created with a purpose. Precious and greatly loved!
You bear the image of the living God!
And through faith in Jesus Christ, we are given the extraordinary privilege of becoming His children.
Redeemed. Forgiven. Adopted. Made new!
As I reflect on all that Scripture reveals, and on what the Lord has been teaching me through the years, I keep coming back to this:
Understanding our identity in Christ is not merely discovering our worth. It is discovering whose image we bear, whose children we have become through faith, and whose character we are called to reflect.
And this is not simply something to celebrate!
It must transform how we live!
Now remember how Titus 3:5 tells us that God saved us according to His mercy, through regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit?
Look at what Paul goes on to say in Titus 3:8:
“I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works.”
And in verse 14, he urges believers to devote themselves to good works “so that they will not be unfruitful.”
There it is!
The natural outward expression of a life regenerated and transformed by the Holy Spirit is fruitfulness!
And that brings me to something that has deeply encouraged me.
This spring, my family and I unexpectedly bumped into Jemimah Rodrigues, the Indian women’s cricket star, and spent a few precious moments with her!
If you haven’t watched her remarkable testimony of how Jesus gave her strength and boldness to help lead India to victory after being sidelined, I highly recommend it!
But something else struck me even more deeply.
I recently heard another testimony in which Jemi spoke openly about her struggles with social anxiety and how she had once been inward-looking.
And look how God is using her today!
Whenever God brings extraordinary people into my life, I believe He does so for a reason.
I found myself asking, “Why Jemi? Why this year?”
And friends, as I write this, I am beginning to understand!
God uses those whom the world considers misfits for His Kingdom and His glory!
Meeting Jemi and hearing her testimony have brought home something I need to remember:
My anxiety is not my identity. Jesus is.
And I take that lesson seriously!
My friends, step into His YES! Don’t allow your limitations to determine what God can do through you.
My prayer is that you will be so full of Him that you reflect Him boldly and courageously wherever He takes you!
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
I desire to burn for You! Turn me from a flickering torch into a flaming torch, burning brightly for You and for Your glory!
And may others be drawn closer to Jesus through the light You kindle in me.
In the precious Name of Jesus, I ask. Amen.
Here’s a song I love listening to. I love that it is in Hebrew and Arabic too (the Arabic reminds me of the beautiful people in the Middle East and our spiritually formative years in Oman…) I hope it blesses you: