CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Consider the kitten paradox.
All kittens are irresistible. Just look at them. They’re incredibly cute.
And no one ever said, “that tabby kitty is wonderful… but that orange tiger kitty isn’t.” The adorable-ness of kittens transcends how they look. A blue-gray siamese, a black tomcat; it doesn’t matter. I challenge you not to smile when you’re around kittens.
And now, a mystery: We are told that God made us, all of us, in His own image.
How is that possible?
Look at us. We’re all so different. Some of us are male, others female. We are blondes, or redheads, or brunettes. Some of us turn gray. We’re tall and skinny, or short and fat, or something in-between. And, of course, we are Caucasian, or Black, or Hispanic, Asian, Indigenous, or some combination of several. And we are all made in the image of our Creator?
That tells me that the essence of God is not physical. John, Chapter 4, tells us that “God is spirit. Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” To be made in God’s image, you and I must be more than physical beings. We are God-like because of what is within us; our souls.
Imagine for a moment being able to see other people like we see kittens. You don’t see gray or black, or brown, or white; you see something that is beyond how they look. Suppose that we could see other people that way, beyond how different we seem to one another. What if you saw the very face of God looking back at you. And perhaps they will see that in you. That’s the only way that being created in God’s image works.
Try to see it. It isn’t easy. I’ll try, too.
I’m Chris Conley
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