26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Up till now, God has simply spoken; “Let there be… and there was”. Now the tone changes to “Let us make”. Isaiah 43 expresses it slightly different; “Now this is what the Lord says; he who created you Jacob, he who formed you, Isreal: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine,” The picture is that of God, the master sculptor, carving out people with the tender care and skill of the creator.
But there is much more. People are created in God’s Image and Likeness. Unlike the animals created and put out to pasture, people are created with the ability to talk back, to take authority for giving names to the animals, to take responsibility for the survival of the creation God has entrusted to us. Unlike with the animals, God has some inner compulsion to share himself and his presence with us. To put this all into one word, that presence is Love. This was an act of risk – it was sheer audacity for God to entrust us with his presence.
When God looks at you, he sees something of himself. And there is more – we can see God’s presence in each other.
God has not made us to be puppets. We have minds of our own. Love always frees us to return if we will, or if not then to go our own way, as did the Prodigal son. God will never stop seeing himself in you. God frees us to choose love without fear or repercussion.
What we have to struggle to understand is that that the part of God in whose image we are is Love!!! Love is an attitude to life, to creation, to each other. Its an orientation of character which determines our attitude to the whole world.
Enough for now. Why not try hugging God by hugging yourself!!!