In the last post (see “The Message of the Bible”), I mentioned that I had recently had the opportunity to hear Mike Breen speak. He made a point that I had not heard before.
We are probably all familiar with Genesis 1:27 which says that we were created in the image of God; Mike told the audience that a more accurate translation of the Hebrew word for ”image” in this passage would be “imprint”. It’s a subtle but profound difference.
Being created with the imprint of God’s hand on each of our lives has radical implications. It means that there is a place in each of us that bears the handprint of God, and only He can perfectly fill that gap. Only His hand will form a perfect seal when placed on us; only He can make us whole. No matter what else with which we try to fill the emptiness, there will always be seams and pockets that will leave us exposed and yearning for more. Only the hand of God provides perfect coverage.
The further we choose to walk away from God, the further we distance ourselves from His touch on our lives. We are incomplete without His hand on us, and no amount of seeking will find a suitable alternative to replace what we are missing. Over time we become calloused over and may not even recognize that something is amiss save for the gnawing in our souls that will not be silenced. It’s an ache that will keep you up at night and prevent you from getting out of bed in the morning. We yearn for completion, but it cannot be found until we return to God and allow Him to reach down and fill the emptiness. We are never so far away from God that we cannot return to Him in an instant. We can, however choose to disregard His touch, to shrug Him off as we choose to try and fill our lives with less than perfect substitutes.
Just as no two fingerprints are alike, I imagine that no two imprints are alike either. While every touch is from God, He lovingly places His hand in the manner that best suits our particular shape and form. I think the imprint He leaves is as unique as each flake of the winter snow. This means that every single one of us is special and of an exclusive design. Why then would anyone imagine themselves to be worthless or unimportant? God chose to make every soul different and put His unparalleled mark on each one. No matter whom you are or where you’ve been, you are a being of incomparable worth and unequaled potential.
Have you let other people or the circumstances of life tell you that you are nothing special? Have the pressures of life driven you to believe that you are insignificant and that you don’t matter? This is a lie and contrary to what Scripture tells us; Ephesians 2:10 states that we were created to do good works for Christ. Each of us has been given distinct gifts and abilities so that we might further the mission of Jesus. Don’t believe the lies of Satan when he tries to convince you that you’re too fat, too skinny, too slow, too young, too old, too ugly or too pretty. When you draw close to God and allow Him to touch the world through you, you are truly perfection. You are a kingdom creation bearing the imprint of the very hand of God; let no one ever convince you otherwise. You are special; go and be extraordinary for Christ.