Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
My Identity
All my life I had an image of myself as a fat kid. Even though that was not really true. When I was last picked for the playground teams, I must have internalized the rejection until it became my identity. As an adult, I would pick which gym I would become a member of based on their claims that there would be no “body shaming” allowed on their premises. I don’t even remember any mirrors even being in the building.
Magic Mirror
What has shaped your identity? Was it by something people said about you? Or what the bathroom scale read was your weight? Or how you judged yourself each time you looked in the mirror. Are you like the Evil Queen in the fairy tale of Snow White who consulted with the Magic Mirror to ask who the fairest one of all was.
Imago Dei
In the beginning of the Bible the first week of the Creation story ends with God creating mankind in His image. The Latin phrase Imago Dei is repeated twice in this verse that is written as a poetic phrase to help us understand that we are all created in the image of God. Therefore, if we are created in God’s image, then when people see us we are a reflection of who God is. All humanity was created to be a “Mirror” to reflect the image of God.
Our Broken Mirror
If you keep reading further in the book of Genesis you will see that in Chapter 3 the recording of the Fall of mankind and “our mirror” is broken and Adam and Eve hid from God and covered their nakedness. What has shattered your mirror? Next time you find yourself saying “Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” Remember that when you invite Christ into your life God sees you through the Mirror of Jesus that has taken on all the fractures and made them new. Today, try saying to the Mirror of Jesus that “I am a Child of God who has been made in His image. I am Loved by my Heavenly Father. I am a co-Heir with Christ!”