Who Are You?
“So God created humankind in God’s image, in the image of God, God created them; male and female God created them.”
– Genesis 1:27
One of the last things that I did before we canceled all church activities and closed the building was to create a bulletin board. I love creating bulletin boards; I don’t know if I would be allowed to be a children’s minister if I didn’t.
But this bulletin board was different because it was interactive. I worked with the kids to have them finish the statement “I am…” The only guidance was that they needed to write honest things about themselves. Yes, it is brave to let children have free reign on being honest. But it was a fun exercise and offered me a glimpse into how they think of themselves. Answers like “artistic, funny, trouble maker, goofy, loving, a good friend, an animal lover, good at math, smart, and a brother or sister” came up.
Then we widened the circle a little bit, and I asked them to write kind words about people they know. More answers streamed in: “a leader, caring, a good cook, a nice friend, quiet, loud, old, young.” Hearing how the kids are seeing the world was a fun exercise too.
And finally, we opened up this exercise to the whole church. We provided slips of paper and markers so people could complete the statement for themselves. And we started to get very different answers than those from the kids: “Strong, a fighter, a believer, hurting, wounded, healing, lonely, brave, happy, depressed.”
With each slip of paper, we added it to the bulletin board to make up what our church “looks” like. With each slip of paper, there is a story. As I look at the board, I realize that while I may know the people attached to their names, I don’t know all of their stories. My hope was that we would be able to take these slips and hear the stories behind them. Maybe one day I will still be able to do that.
I wonder how you would fill in the blank “I am __________.” We read in the Bible that we are all created in the image of God, and that when we look at the people around us and look in the mirror, we see glimpses of God and God’s love. When we see each other and ourselves, we should see the whole picture, not just the things we like about ourselves or dislike about ourselves. Both are a part of the person God created us to be.
I encourage you to fill in this blank for yourself today. Allow yourself to be honest with your answer. And then take a moment to pray to God for the person you are. If the word you think of is a positive word, thank God for that. If it is a more difficult word, pray that God will be with you in those moments and help you to embrace that word or turn it into something you can be thankful for.
God, thank you for making each of us in your image. As we interact with people in the world, help us to find ways to see past the labels we may put on each other and on ourselves; help us to see one another and our own selves as reflections of your love. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and for that we give thanks. Thank you for loving us, just as we are. Amen.
Kristen Koger, Pastor for Children and Families, First Baptist Church Decatur