In Whose Image - A Reflection on Psalm 8

Imago Dei has always been a foundational underpinning of my theology and a guiding principle for how I strive to act out my faith in real life.  Of course I love the idea that I was made in the image of God, but what's more relevant is that all humans are made in the image of God.  That's an important thought for me to keep in mind when I'm challenged to accept and honor the diversity of people who don't look like me, act like me, or think like me. 

I find it to be particularly helpful when I need to deliver a "tough love" message or performance feedback, because it helps me to focus on the behavior, not the person.  After all, if we're all made in the image of God then we contain an inherent "goodness", even if we aren't always "good".  Reflecting on that possibility helps me to "speak the truth in love" because I want to honor that they too are a beloved child of God, whether they acknowledge it or not.

Of course this becomes much harder to swallow when faced with people who do hateful and evil things. Are those folks also made in God's image?  And if so, what does that say about God?  Or perhaps more significantly, what does it say about the choices that we as humans make?  As the psalmist says, God made human beings "a little lower than God".  That little bit may make a very big difference.

Reflection on Psalm 8

It's interesting that this psalm speaks of God's glory but with very human, physical imagery. It is almost as if we have created, or imagined, God in our image vs the other way around.  The assertion that God has made humans "a little less" than Godself is both modest and arrogant.  But maybe that is to be expected given the psalmist is human.  One wonders what this psalm might sound like from the perspective of the beasts of the field - sort of like the dog & cat memes that we see on Facebook in which they are rejoicing/tiring of their humans "sheltering in place".

When we speak of God's hands and fingers, we make God relatable, and that is good because it makes God less remote and scary. So it's easier to become comfortable in relationship with God.  But it's also a slippery slope to diminishing God's power and our admiration & awe.  God isn't God-like; God is God.

Dear Lord, I love thinking of you handcrafting creation and designing me in your image.  But help me to widen my imagination so that I see ALL of creation in you - not just a reflection of me.  Amen.