Made in the Image of God

"God's workmanship"
"Apple of His eye"
"My treasured possession"
"My child in whom I delight"
"Loved with an everlasting love"

I recently heard a preacher on the radio preaching against selfishness. An example he gave of why we are selfish is that from the time we are born, everything is about us. When we are born, he said, nurses, doctors and parents are standing there just waiting to attend to our needs. (My first thought was, um, yeah, they are kind of needed). This example bothered me. I have heard far too often in recent days a familiar refrain: children are sinners and you need to get the sin out of them. Okay, maybe people aren't that blunt, but if I take what they say about children to its logical conclusion, that's what they mean. So I got to thinking...what does God say about us? What does God think about us?

The five quotes above are from scripture. God talks about His people with beautiful, loving words. One of the above, "the child in whom I delight," is spoken about an Israelite tribe that is in the process of disobeying and deserting God right at that moment. And he calls them "the child in whom I delight"!

Are children sinners? Yes, they are born in sin. But, are children also made in the image of God? A resounding yes!!! It seems to me many parents forget this fact. As children grow, become more vocal and more active, all of sudden parents see every moment as a pitched battle between them and their kids and if the kids win, what horrible little sinners they will turn into. Their kids don't hear phrases like the above. Their kids hear "Don't," "Stop," "No," all day long.

Does God warn us about sin? Yes. But He also affirms His love every step of the way by calling us titles like "my treasured possession." It is not wrong to let our kids know that they are loved. It is not wrong to take care of their needs. Maybe they will come to believe that God's love is kind of like their parents' love. Maybe God actually cares about their needs. Maybe God wants them to know how much they are worth. Maybe God wants them to know that if they were the only child on earth, He would give His life for them. Maybe the way our children are loved and given for isn't to lead to selfishness, but to lead to God.

Yes, of course, parents can overindulge and parents can be apathetic, neither of which God advocates. But parents should also never forget that their children are precious in God's sight and that Jesus loved far more to cradle children and bless them than to yell and stomp on their spirits.