Imagine

When we see a painting of Jesus or picture Jesus in our minds, more often than not we see the long, flowing, dark brown, curly hair, full brown beard, blue eyes, and rosy cheeks, almost like a young version of Santa Clause. This image has, of course, been “romanticized.” The artist has painted a version of Jesus to fit their culture and make him look like one of them.

I sometimes wonder if this is what we do with every aspect of Jesus, including who he was as a man. Although Jesus was fully human, he was also fully God. He struggled with the same things we do. He had some of the same thoughts and emotions; however, the way that he handled these struggles, the way he thought is not the same as we tend to think and handle difficulties. Oftentimes I find myself facing a problem or struggling with a decision and handling it in such a worldly manner, thinking worldly thoughts and feeling worldly emotions, but Jesus faced such situations perfectly. My dad once told me that people tend to expect Christians to always be thinking about the Bible and God and to not worry or struggle with worldly things. He said, though, that Christians still face the same difficulties and problems that the rest of the world faces. We still have financial difficulties, struggle with losing loved ones, and possibly even fear becoming weak and feeble in old age. The difference is not in our struggles and fears; the difference should be in how we respond. I can’t help but wonder if we have attempted to remake Jesus to look and act like us rather than realizing that we are made in his image as Scripture tells us.

Imagine if you were to wake up tomorrow morning and go through the day remembering that you are made in the image of God. What about the way you lived and the things you did today would change? If you were to wake up each day recognizing that every person with which you came into contact is made in God’s image just like you, how would you treat them differently?

-Matt