Made For More (Chapter 3): East of Eden -- When Everything Goes Terribly Wrong

Scripture records that man and woman were made in God's image.  How, then, can we live in a world where atrocities are daily committed within and around us?

"Ours is a world of tragic paradoxes. A world where people labor under backbreaking conditions and still are unable to support themselves and provide for their families; a world where vulnerable children are trafficked like animals, bodies and souls sold to the highest bidder; a world where the wealthy waste resources as nations slowly starve to death; a world where men and women routinely destroy themselves through addiction in a desperate attempt to escape the brokenness.

"And if we're completely honest, we have to admit that the brokenness isn't simply around us.  This brokenness invades our own souls.  Instead of God's glory radiating through the prism of our lives, much of the time it is obscured and darkened.  Instead of owning our legacy as image bearers, we wander around half-human... trapped in his awkward fog, we exist in a twilight zone between what we were and what we hope to be." (Hannah Anderson, Made For More)

The conflict can be traced back to the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve chose to reject God's law and pursue their own.  Since then, each human has experienced opposing pulls: in one direction towards God's perfect law, and in the other towards self-determination.

Anderson notes that, "when we turn to other things for knowledge, when we define ourselves by things like our work, our relationships, our giftedness -- even our pain -- we create an alternative source of identity."  This identity is unstable and flawed, unlike the true and unchanging nature of God by which we were created.

What is the solution to this war within us?  As is the answer to so many things, simply: Jesus.

"When the time was right, He came as a child to rescue His children.  Because we had left Him, He came to us.  Because we would not humble ourselves, He humbled Himself.  Because we would not obey, He obeyed perfectly.  And because we live lives of death, He lived and died to free us from them."  (Hannah Anderson, Made For More).

Or in the words of a much older Book:

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8)

Jesus is the answer.  He has come for us, in our confusion and in our rebellion.  He has come to bring us back to glory.

Made for More (Chapter 2): Imago Dei -- Life as It Is Meant To Be

Carpe diem.
Pièce de résistance.
Mele kalikimaka.

Some expressions convey complex meaning, even in a foreign language.

How about this one: imago dei?

Literally, this phrase means "in the image of God".  Theologians have used it for centuries to refer to the nature of human creation.  While God's fingerprints are evident on all of His creation, His likeness is best seen in man and woman.  What does this mean for us?  Hannah Anderson describes the implications of imago dei in the following way:

"When Genesis teaches that we are made imago dei, it is doing more than simply explaining how we came into existence or offering an argument for why we should respect and care for one another.  By revealing that we are made in God's image, it is revealing how we are to exist, how we are made to live, and what it means to be human.  Being human means sharing God's nature in some way; being human means living as He lives and doing what He does."

Anderson goes on to discuss how being created in God's image impacts our individual identities.  First, we are made to live in relationship with God, because we belong to Him.  Jesus clearly depicts this relationship in his response to religious leaders who asked whether or nor taxes should be paid to the government.  We belong to God, because we were made in His image.  Everything we are is His.

" 'Show me a denarius [a coin]. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?'
They said, 'Caesar's.'
He said to them, 'Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.'
And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent (Luke 20:24-26)."

Second, living imago dei means maintaining healthy relationships with others.  Our interactions should communicate the truth that all people are precious to God.

Third, living according to God's image means accomplishing the work He entrusts us in ways that honor Him. As Anderson notes, "this third element of identity flows directly from the first two.  If existing in communion with God and others is who you are designed to be, then stewarding creation is what you were designed to do.  And yet, we cannot separate the being from the doing -- a hammer is a hammer both because of how it is shape and what it accomplishes."

What would our lives look like if we truly lived imago dei?  Like everything we are and everything we do belongs to God?  Like all of our relationships reflected God's love for all people?  Like any task or job we undertook was done to bring Him glory?  Take a few minutes to outline specific changes that would occur if you lived according to this perspective.

Oh, and carpe diem... imago dei.  

Made for More (Chapter 1): Who Am I? Courage to Question, Faith to Find the Answer

Picture yourself sitting around a table with a group of people you've just met (business or social setting). Introductions have begun, and you've been nominated to start. What do you say about yourself? 

"Hi, I'm (so-and-so). I'm a (Job description? Familial role? Native of such-and-such a place?)."

How we describe ourselves has much to do with our source(s) of identity. Hannah Anderson (Made for More) addresses this concept head-on:

"Instead of wrestling with the deeper questions of life, we distract ourselves and find identity in things like relationships, jobs, political causes, or hobbies. We check boxes, make lists, and categorize ourselves by race, religion, and socioeconomic status. We calculate our bodies in pounds,inches,and clothing sizes,all in an effort to gain the security that comes from knowing exactly who we are and where we fit into the grand scheme of things. After all, if I know that I am a married, blond-haired, blue-eyed, extroverted, mother of three who studied liberal arts, writes, likes to travel, watches classic movies, and enjoys long walks on the beach, then certainly I must know who I am, right? Right?"

She goes on to discuss the unsettling of supposed "identity" that occurs when our roles/categories change. This issue is near to my heart, as I have found myself flying (seemingly recklessly) through many life changes in the past few years: marriage, residency, motherhood, part-time employment, staying at home, and planning a move abroad. Am I still myself? Despite the changes in my relationships (primarily friendships, as everyone in my cohort moves through similar role changes), is my identity stable?

This question presents itself most clearly in introductory settings, since the seemingly natural response after exchanging names with a stranger is typically, "What do you do?" What does this question mean? What do I do for fun? For gainful employment? For my family? For the destitute? For the Kingdom of God? Clearly, answers to some of these questions are more important than others. Yet none of them fully encompasses the issue of identity.  

Scripture teaches that Christians are defined not by our accomplishments or relationships, but by Christ's righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:14-21). This is a beautiful thing. We no longer have to strive for acceptance or sufficiency. We belong to the One who is all-sufficient. How would our concepts of identity change if we truly defined ourselves by Christ's work rather than ours?

Would this reality change the way we thought about ourselves? Introduced ourselves? Interacted with our brothers and sisters? This week, I challenge you to pay attention to the way you define yourself as you make an introduction. Afterwards, ask whether the way you want others to see you is the way God already sees you.  

Question:

1. Complete the following introduction as you typically would in a social setting. "Hi, I'm (so-and-so). I'm a (Job description? Familial role? Native of such-and-such a place?)."

2. Think about this verse: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
What does this truth mean for your self-reported identity in question 1?  

Made for More: An Invitation to Live in God's Image (Hannah Anderson)

"Is your identity based on a role? Is it linked to a relationship? Do your achievements influence how you view yourself? What does your family say about you?  Who are you as a woman?

"Honestly, these are not the right questions.  The real question is, who are you as a person created in God's image? Until we see our identity in His, we're settling for seconds.  And we were made for so much more..."   (Made for More, back cover)

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We will be reading through this book over the next few months, according to the following schedule.  Please feel free to sign up to write the blog for whichever chapter interests you!

Part One: From Him...
1. Who Am I? Courage to Question, Faith to Find the Answer (post by January 17th) - Liz
2. Imago Dei: Life as It Is Meant to Be (post by January 24th)
3. East of Eden: When Everything Goes Terribly Wrong (post by February 1st)

4. Made Like Him: Finding Your Life by Losing Yourself in Him (post by February 8th)

Part Two: And Through Him...

5. Looking for Love: How Your Heart Makes You Who You Are (post by February 15th)
6. Good Gracious Me: Cultivating a Large, Generous Soul (post by February 22nd)
7. Lady Wisdom: Thinking God's Thoughts after Him (post by March 1st)

8. Queens in Narnia: Embracing Your Destiny to Reign (post by March 8th)
9. Toward Perfect Union: Living Holistically in a Fractured world (post by March 15th)
10. A Kind Providence: When Jesus Leads You All the Way (post by March 22nd)

Part Three: And To Him
11. Becoming Real: Living as a Work in Progress (post by March 29th)
12. Hope of Glory: Eternal Life in the Here and Now (post by April 5th)