"So God created man in his own image, in
the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
(Genesis 1:27 ESV)
Last summer, we moved to a different house, and baby Zoe« was
born.
As a Christian, the nice thing about being a dad again after
twenty years is that I believe I am more in touch with who I am, both in
the world and in the kingdom of God. I no longer see the frustrations
and exasperations of a helpless baby’s crying and total dependency as
belonging only to me or Caroline. Of course, they are ours in the sense
that Zoe is our baby, much longed for and loved, even in the small hours
of the morning when we’d rather be sleeping.
How I view Zoe's antics and growing pains helps my faith grow
stronger and helps me to understand better what it means to be made in
the image of God as our heavenly Father. For, in truth, just as I see
her in the morning and night-time, and covet her hugs and smiles, so God
looks forward to our spending time with Him. Just as I accept Zoe’s
frustration and anger at being able to perform only the basic feats of
communication, so God understands the limitations we work under while
trying to communicate with Him and understand His will.
Amid these limitations, God has been gracious to help us
understand Him through our commonality of nature. We are made in His
image so that we may comprehend His nature, no matter who we are. We
bear the marks of His authorship in our being. Thus, we can meaningfully
respond to Him through ways that are set into our creation. No matter
our physical condition or age, as Christians, we are loved in Jesus
because He has first loved us, and we can respond, knowing that He
understands.
More than I do Zoe, He loves us and wants us to identify Him
faithfully as our heavenly Father. We are jealously watched over.
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will
fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. So don’t be
afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31 NIV)
Prayer: Lord, we have been too busy again. We have squeezed You
out of our stillness; we are seldom still. At best, we take Your love
for granted, and at worst, we ignore it. Please forgive us our
presumptions. Like a baby, we revel in Your presence with us, as You
hold us close in the power of the Holy Spirit. We rejoice in Your
unfailing love towards us, no matter the time, our condition, or the
situation, because You first loved us in Jesus’ name. Thank You. Amen.
You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/02/24/rm_born/
Rod Marshall
Not to be reprinted without permission
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