Designed For More
I remember a few years ago, there was a sign displayed in our home. It was a sign that reminded us of the blessings of laundry. It may be challenging to see dirty laundry as a blessing. How can endless piles of laundry, that never seem to be finished, be a blessing? Tell that to the tired parent who has worked all day, cooked, and helped the children with their homework that one more pile of laundry is a blessing. It sure may not seem like it! The sign was a reminder of God’s abundant provisions. Yes, we had plenty of dirty laundry. However, laundry meant that we had clothes to wear, a reminder of God’s blessing.
It can be easy to get caught in our day-to-day routines, running from one place to the next. When there is always one more task to complete, with all the busyness, we can forget our purpose. God has created us in His image.
GENESIS 1:27 (ESV)
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”[1]
Created in the image of God, He has given us a significant responsibility among His creation. People are to be His representatives; they are to reflect their Creator. In Genesis 2, we read that God placed humans in the garden to work and keep it.
GENESIS 2:15 (ESV)
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”[2]
As His representatives, created in His image, people are designed to work with God cultivating, growing, and bearing fruit from God’s provision so that we, together, can share in His good creation.
We know that God’s image-bearers were distorted by sin (ref. Gen. 3). However, the Hebrew Scriptures point us forward in the story of God. They tell us of the true image of God, Jesus.
Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high”[3]
Jesus, the true image-bearer, came to this earth to restore an image distorted by sin. His restoration has been extended to each person, and His restoration includes all of God’s good creation.
As restored image-bearers, we participate in what God is doing. We participate in the project of restoration. It can be easy to lose sight of what God is doing as we go about our day-to-day activities. It can be easy to lose sight of our purpose while caught up in the routines. God has given us the responsibility of being His representatives, to reflect His goodness as His image-bearers.
Our work is much more than earning a paycheck. It’s more than just paying the bills or simply doing laundry. Where you are, no matter what you are doing, you are created in His image to reflect the Creator. We participate in His work as His restored image-bearers—the work of cultivating, growing, restoring, building communities, and sharing God’s abundance with others.
Today, tomorrow, or next week, let’s not forget we are designed for more.
Blessings!
Steve E.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 1:27.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 2:15.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Heb 1:3.