Spittin' Image

©2018 Bethany Shoemaker

“You’re the spitting image of your mother,” my mom’s friend stated.

“You all are related, aren’t you,’ the waiter at the restaurant noted. “You look alike.”

“Is this Pam or Lisa?” my aunt asked when I called her. “You sound the same on the phone.”

“Wow! I can tell you and Lisa are sisters,” a lady at the Senior Center remarked.

For years I have been told I look like my mother. And it is obvious that my youngest sister and I share similarities in our facial features, our body build, our voices, our mannerisms.

Recently at SacredSpace.ie I read, “I am created in the image and likeness of God.” The basis for those words is found in Genesis 1:26-27: “Then God said, ‘Let us make humans in our image, in our likeness. . . So, God created humans in his image. In the image of God, he created them.’”

Biblical scholar D. J. A. Clines, in his article "The Image of God in Man", says that we are created to be a "copy" or a "graphic image" of the Creator, a visible and understandable representation of who God is and what He is really like.

That is kind of a scary thought—full of hidden meanings and evoking great responsibility. I know what it means to be the image, likeness, or copy of my sister and mom, but what does it mean for me to be the likeness and image of God that others see?

Scripture gives us a long list of characteristics of God:

Exodus 34:6 God is compassionate and faithful.

Psalm 46:1 God is always ready to help.

Psalm 116:5 God is merciful and good.

Psalm 193:8 God is not easily angered.

Joel 2:13 God is patient and forgiving.

John 3:33 God is truthful.

Romans 2:4 God is kind.

Romans 11:33 God is wise and knowledgeable.

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is trustworthy.

1 Peter 1:15 God is holy.

1 Peter 5:7 God is caring.

1 John 4:8 God is love.

These are just a few of the many Scriptures that give us a glimpse of God—and, according to Genesis 1:27, of who God created us to be. Through His transforming power, we can become the “spittin' image” of Jesus

Be encouraged!

Pam

©2018 Pamela D. Williams

Holding Hands

Ever since we started dating 49 years ago, Dick and I have held hands wherever we walk. Surprisingly, we have discovered that holding hands is a unique habit—a fact brought to our attention recently when we attended our denomination’s regional three-day conference.

Walking around the gathering areas and grounds, Dick and I held hands, leaning our heads together to talk, and sharing laughter over little things that amused us. Towards the end of the first day, a volunteer from the Welcome center approached us. She just wanted to say how wonderful she thought it was that we walked everywhere holding hands. Dick jokingly told her, “Well, I stumble a lot,” and the three of us laughed at his witticism.

“Seriously, though, it’s nice to see a couple enjoying each other’s company so much,” she said.

It’s not the first time this physical display of our close connection has attracted attention.

• “You’re the couple we see walking around town holding hands!” exclaimed a lady we met at an ecumenical church event.
• “How’s your husband doing?” a fellow shopper asked me following Dick’s heart surgery. “I love seeing the two of you walk down the street holding hands.”
• “Where’s your other half?” a store clerk asked when I paid for my purchases. “You two are always together, holding hands. We don’t see many people doing that anymore.”

Truthfully, Dick and I enjoy each other’s company! We want to be together as much as possible. It never grows old—even after five years of dating and 44 years of marriage! We are one, just as God said in Mark 10:8—and holding hands is just a physical manifestation of that oneness.

What is the key to our total oneness? Our shared faith. In March of 1977, we both trusted Jesus as our Savior, and dedicated our lives to Him. That commitment to Christ set us on the same path spiritually and set the foundation for us to continue to be one in every other aspect of our lives. Holding hands simply exemplifies it.

Thomas Gumbleton, in the National Catholic Reporter, writes, “The most important vocation in the church is the vocation of married people. If you go back to the marriage ceremony . . . we ask God's blessing on the bride and the groom because they are called to be witnesses to the love of Jesus. In other words, by loving one another in their married life, sharing that love with their children, spreading that love in their neighborhood, in their community, they are witnessing [for] Jesus.” (John 13:35)

Maybe all it takes to witness of Jesus’ love is a little hand holding. :D

Be encouraged!

Pam

©2018 Pamela D. Williams