Dear Kaleid Ladies,
Good morning!
When was the last time you noticed that you were the right woman showing up at the right time for the right opportunity? Was it as simple as having the right words to offer to a neighbor because you had “been there” once too? Or was it as stunning as reading a job description with the dawning realization that it had your name written all over it?
When our unique wiring meets a unique moment, we see ourselves living into God-given purpose. Whether simple or stunning, it’s always encouraging.
Between now and May, we are embarking on the journey of Seeing Ourselves, walking down a pathway that we sometimes go on together at Kaleid (those of you who have done Foundations will recognize what’s ahead!) as we explore our purpose, passion, and power in light of the fact that we are made in God’s image. As this spring unfolds, our emails will be laying out some stepping stones to deeper insight into what it means to live a self-aware life as God’s image bearer.
The idea of being made in God’s image comes from the first few chapters of the Bible. It is a multifaceted theological truth that can deeply enrich how we see ourselves. Genesis 1:26 says, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness;…”
Take a look at this 15th century icon by Andrei Rublev for a moment. It’s meant to picture the Trinity, each member seated at the table in mutuality and uniqueness and love. See how their faces seem to be very similar, indicating their oneness; yet their clothes and their postures differ, indicating their uniqueness? Do you see how they are sharing a meal together? Do you notice how they are inclined toward each other? The painting originally had a mirror mounted at the bottom so that observers could envision themselves seated at the table, sharing in the mutuality and distinction of love, too.
Being made in God’s image means being made in love, by love, and for love. God is love (I John 4:8). In the beginning, the community of the Trinity manifested creative, relational love in three parts—the Creator fashioning a hospitable world through the Word and drawing near to it through the Spirit. Love imagines creation, Love generates creation, Love nurtures creation.
It’s not outside the realm of Christian imagination to say that you were, quite literally, created to live inside of a flowing, interwoven fabric of love—that your body and your very being were meant to be woven into that fabric, one of its integral threads. Love imagines you; love generates you; love nurtures you.
You were made in love.
Your uniqueness is a manifestation of the uniqueness of the love of God, expressed in various ways in the Trinity. You were mean to show up in the world in a particular way, as an expression of love, too.
You have a purpose that looks just like you and only like you, living in love.
You are made uniquely, for relationship.
Your purpose, your uniqueness-for-relationship, includes your distinct way of relating with the world and with other people. Your presence matters and your uniqueness, your purpose, is a gift, because you were made in love.
Reflection:
Consider what you do most naturally in the world, and in relationships. How do you show up in love most freely? When have you had a sense of yourself as part of God’s loving movement in the world?
Spend a few minutes and read this passage from I Corinthians in The Message and ask God to give you a sense what it means for you to be made in love and to function in your purpose as a part of the Church today.
Next week, we will talk about how the beauty of our unique-for-relationship purpose gets distorted by sin and restored in Jesus.
Until then, we remain grateful for you all,
The Kaleid Team
P.S. There is still time to join us for our Gift of Being Yourself book club that has its first meeting this Sunday night!
P.S. We are having a workshop on April 15th with Elizabeth Payne, a StrengthsFinder coach. She is going to lead us through the results of our StrengthsFinder assessments and help us listen to our uniqueness and consider how our strengths inform our purpose in God’s world.