Do You Feel “Less-Than?”

You’ll hopefully be relieved to know I’m not going to talk about Genesis 1.1 again today.

But we are still in chapter 1.

Hope you are okay with that.

And you should know that Leah and I worked it out, and I’m still leaning toward the Monday-Wednesday-sometimes Friday thing, unless God has something different in mind.

So anyway, back to Genesis 1.

Genesis 1:26-27 reads, Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them.

Point 1: We are created in God’s image. I love the part where it says, “our image, in our likeness” because that implies what we call the “Holy Trinity” – the three-in-one God – God, Son, and Holy Spirit.

This is awesome. Here’s why… knowing what I know about God (which admittedly is but a mere pinprick of the understanding possible), the “image” of “Our” is going to include many of the aspects of God, although it is still an image, a reflection, perhaps. In my head, this simply confirms much of what I already know about how He’s created men and women – it’s almost like He’s put certain aspects of His character into men, and other aspects of His character into women. I’m not saying that men can’t be nurturing and women can’t be systematic, but naturally, our tendencies are strong, comparatively speaking. And I’ve seen in about 15% (number quoted from other psychologists, but seems about right) in the marriages where the man is more nurturing, the woman is also more systematic. Regardless, the “image” of God Three-in-One-style shows up in a saying I’ve made numerous times about my relationship with my own husband: “Between the two of us, we make about one good person.”

I love this, because I can look to my own nature and the nature of my husband, the parts that are “good,” and think, “Oh, yeah, that’s God.”

Point 2: Man is made in the image of God and “man” is plural (“them”)– so male and female “rule” and we’re NOT second-class citizens. I know there are many in the church who still buy this archaic business that women are simply not equally precious to God as men are, but can we just lay that to rest finally? WE ARE. And there are gobs of men out there talking about this. Okay, so there are also plenty of men who still don’t get it. And we might be married to them. But that’s more their issue and not ours – so if we know the Truth, let’s rest in that for now. We’ll get into how to deal with that in the future (okay here, if you can’t wait) but for now, KNOW what is True about you as a woman, okay?

Because notice what the text also does NOT say: “I made man in my image and woman in something less than that.”

I would love to lay this notion of women “being less than men” to rest – I know it is so very hard when some of the men around you (and frankly, some of the women) treat others as if they actually are less than – but again, that is NOT our issue.

How we treat and value others says more about us than it does about them.

Understand that there will always be immature, disrespectful, insecure, and unkind people in this world. We can talk endlessly about the wrongs and the many things that separate us. That list will never end.  Know, too, that I’m so sorry if you’ve been hurt by the church, men, women, myself, or anyone else claiming a banner of faith in their rhetoric. I know these hurts run deep and take much work and time to overcome.

But Revelation-style, we are meant to be overcomers – and our hurts become our ministries as healing occurs. So I pray that for you – for all of us. Need more than Genesis? There is, about women, especially, but for now, just read this.

And truthfully, we’ve ALL thought we were actually better than someone else… right? Come on, I’m probably not the only one to have had my pious on when dealing with some people…

The truth is, the more we come to know Him, the more we come to be like Him, and when that occurs, we mourn the times when we’ve treated others as “the least of these” in a secular sense – because we’ve missed out on blessing God Himself.

Whatever we pay attention to grows.

So pay attention to shortcomings and failings, or start talking about what’s right and emphasize righteousness in ourselves and others.

Dare you today to be thankful, and to be humble, even if those around you are not. Your walk with God doesn’t need their correct behavior for your heart to be cleansed and your Spirit to be filled.

Dear God,

Thank You so much, Lord, for making me in Your image, in Your Son’s image, in Your Spirit’s image. Thank You, God, that my husband is also created in Your image, as are our children. Help me understand this preciousness, Lord, because I forget. I buy the lie of the enemy that says I am worthless. Father, I give credence to others’ opinions more than Yours when I do that, and I’ve put that person or myself on the throne. Forgive me for not knowing You well enough to stop making that mistake. Help me truly know You that well, my King. And I confess, Lord, I’ve done the same thing to other people. I’ve judged them as guilty, as less than. I’ve put my needs/wants/desires ahead of theirs, and sometimes, when I serve, I’m angry about it, because I don’t see the way You do… Help me stop doing this, Lord. Help me love the way You love. Help me be humble, like Christ. I can’t do this in my own power, but Your Spirit alone, Him within me can accomplish this. Help me understand what Jesus did for me on a deeper level. It’s in His name I pray, amen.

What about you? How do these thoughts and those verses play into where you are at right now in your marriage? What do you sense God wanting to do? Dare you to share!

So glad you are on the journey!

Love to you,