The Image of God and Human Worth (Genesis 1:27)
By Dr. Brandon Steenbock
What do you do when something precious breaks? We have a Christmas ornament that carries some fond memories of our kids’ childhood. It has small, intricate pieces, easy to break if you’re not careful. And over the years, pieces have broken.
But with such tender and precious memories, do we just throw the thing away? No. Every time one of those little pieces broke, I pulled out the glue, sat at the table, steadied my hands, and put the ornament back together. Just because it is broken doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value.
What do you do when your heart breaks? Or your spirit? Do you think that when you are broken, God just throws you away? No. Never. Do you remember that God made you in his image? (Genesis 1:27). You are precious to him. Just because you’re broken doesn’t mean you don’t have value. No, God sees you in your brokenness and he doesn’t take some kind of spiritual glue, nothing so weak as that. He takes the blood of Jesus and he pours it over you to heal your brokenness, to put you back together, to make you whole.
You are not disposable. You are not so broken that you should be thrown away. You are an image-bearer of the eternal God. He still calls you precious. He will not let go.
Prayer: Creator God, remind me that I am made in your image, that you call me precious, and that you can heal my brokenness. Help me to trust that you will hold me forever.
Thank you for reading our special devotional series for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The rest of this devotional series can be found here.