Images

 July 14, 2022

“In the image of God he made man.” —Genesis 9:6. F

There is no shortage of speculation as to the nature of being made in the image of God; much of it is quite profitable. Our ability to reason, which seems to be on the wane in our society as we embrace increasingly bizarre pseudo-science in an attempt to give credence to what are essentially political and social agendas. 

Being made in God’s image is what gives us value, and the more our society rejects Biblical standards, the less we value human life. But that’s for another time.

Tonight, I’m thinking of images as images. Images are made to be seen. A blind man has no use for images, cannot be enticed by them or put off by them. They have no meaning for him. Images are made to be looked at. In Psalm 115:8 we are told that we become like the images we make. What we look at determines much of what we become in life.

What am I looking at? Where do my eyes (and therefore my thoughts) lead me? If I look at the news, I’ll become just like them; negative, critical, haughty, angry, and depressed. It’s amazing how bad news sells. We actually pay to have people worry us to death. Years ago, there was a weekly newspaper called the “Grit.” Maybe it’s still in print, but I’m guessing its circulation is somewhat constrained, since their mission was to print only articles that were positive and uplifting. If we ever need demonstration of Original Sin, our propensity to be fascinated by   the bizarre, the negative, and the evil, should be proof enough.

We remonstrate that we are only being realistic, dealing with life as it actually is, and there is a certain amount of truth in it, but when we only have eyes for what is dark and destructive, it becomes more and more difficult to see what is good. Like someone coming out of a dark room into bright sunlight, our eyes cannot stand the glare, and we blink and squint, or go back into the dark.

Paul said when we behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into the same image, from glory to glory…by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:19). So what will I look at today…and tomorrow? “God has shone in our hearts to give the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6). But I won’t see it if I’m not looking for it in the places where it is to be found.