“So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them” - Genesis 1:27
3 Daily Ways to Practice Seeing Others in God’s Image
Last week, we talked about seeing yourself in God’s image. For some of us though, the struggle is the opposite: Seeing others in God’s image. The Bible says to love your neighbor as you love yourself. It’s one thing to see yourself in the image of God, but it can be another matter entirely to see others in His image. So today, we’re gonna dive into THAT side of the coin. How do we practice seeing others in His image, even when sometimes we’re feeling frustrated with everyone around us?
1 - Separate Identity From Behavior.
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8
If you live for very long, and interact with any human being whatsoever, you will at some point be hurt. Because unfortunately it turns out, not only am I deeply flawed and capable of hurting other people, and not only are you deeply flawed and capable of hurting other people, but apparently everyone else is too. Bummer, right? People are going to act in ways that are selfish, hurtful, and sinful, because we are all of us fallen people in a fallen world. That’s just reality. And though here in the world, people may say that you are what you continually do, God says regardless of what you do, you are what He made. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And while people around us still sin, we as image bearers, live sacrificially in love for those around us, dying to self, because they are made in His image too. Author and leadership expert John Maxwell says “Most people use two totally different sets of criteria for judging themselves versus others. We tend to judge others according to their actions. It’s very cut-and-dried. However, we judge ourselves by our intentions. Even if we do the wrong thing, if we believe our motives were good, we let ourselves off the hook.” What if we extended that same courtesy to others? Seeing others in His image means learning to think:
“This person may be acting out of brokenness—but they are still created with divine worth.”
2 - Practice Slowing Down Your Judgments.
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” — James 1:19
If we’re honest, most of us aren’t truly seeing people, we’re just REACTING to people around us without even truly taking time to think. Based on one behavior or action, we so often dismiss someone “They’re just lazy.” “They just have a bad attitude.” “They’re too attention-seeking.” But what if the lazy person oversleeps because they’re a single parent and were up all night helping their kid with homework? What if the person with the bad attitude is suffering from chronic depression and fighting suicidal thoughts every day? What if the person who is always seeking attention is just looking for someone to make them feel important because they never feel important anywhere else? And what if God wanted to use you to bring healing into their life? Seeing someone in God’s image requires humility—the willingness to admit: “I might not understand what shaped this person.” When you slow down your judgment, you create space for compassion. And compassion is where love begins.
3 - Treat People According to Their Value, Not Your Feelings.
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” — Luke 6:31
While we would love to say that our feelings don’t run our lives, or at least I certainly would, if we really stop and take stock of how we treat people any given day, how much of how we treat people is often determined by our mood, our feelings, our lack of sleep? But God didn’t say to treat people with kindness as long as circumstances were perfect. In Colossians 3:12 we’re told “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” That’s it. No exceptions. What if we actually made an effort to account for our emotions, and rise above them, to treat people based on their worth in God’s image rather than based on our frustrations with life? Because if someone is made in God’s image, their value doesn’t change based on your mood. Your feelings are real—but they’re not your standard. So what if instead of treating someone based on how they make you feel, you treated them based on who God says they are? When we do that, we can choose patience when it’s inconvenient, we can show kindness when it feels undeserved, and we can extend grace even when it costs us.
It’s easy to see God’s image in people you love.
The real transformation happens when you start seeing it in people you struggle with.
Because that’s when you begin to love the way God loves.
And that kind of love changes not just how you see people—
—but how you reflect Him to the world.
And isn’t that funny?
It turns out seeing God’s image in others,
Helps us see His image in us.
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