“Image Bearer” (Part One)

This is Hannah. Her mum, Pauline, is a beautiful friend of mine and she is the extremely talented photographer who took this photograph.

Hannah is the same age as Cody and with the passing time, I have watched her grow. When I saw this photograph of her I was so captivated by it. I had to keep going back to look at it to figure out what had me so charmed. Her beauty was obvious, but there are subtleties in this image that could be easily overlooked. Her poise is exquisite, and her eyes seem to be gazing into my very soul. All of these things make me feel like the girl in this image knows who she is, and she is asking us if we know who we are. With such questions from a photograph, I knew this image had to be painted into a portrait.

Although it is hard to believe, the image above is the portrait.

I was so excited to see the finished painting it was hard not to keep asking Catherine (my sister) how it was going. When I saw it, it was everything I knew it would be. It is fine art. Worthy of the major prize. The detail is incredible and Catherine has captured in her painting, all of the things which make it so captivating in the photograph. Her eyes! However, I was just as struck by Catherine’s title, as I was by the painting. She called it,

“Image Bearer”

I was intrigued for two reasons. One, how beautiful! How wonderful to be reminded that in God’s eyes, we all look this breathtaking and can hold ourselves with such grace. It reminds me that in God, we can all pose with such poise and self assurance. Not because of our circle of friends, not because of a title, or what we do, but because of who He is. God’s gift of grace is such a mystery, yet so beautiful, all at the same time.

The second reason, is a little heavy. Heavy because the image we wear around is not always (or even often), held with such grace or poise. It often feels like a weight we lug around, not quite knowing what to do with it or how to handle it. Caught between living like we know are free and the weight of what it means to be human.

I feel like grace is supposed to be worn like a beautiful dress from our Mother’s wardrobe. A dress that we wrap around us. Looking at ourselves in this baggy but beautiful dress makes us imagine what we will look like and how we will feel when we are all grown up. Or one day, when we finally grasp what it means to live loved. Perhaps God’s grace is like a dress that we longed to grow into as a child, but difficult to imagine we ever would, or ever will.

Another thing that strikes me here is Hannah’s age. Perhaps pre-teens is when we our eyes begin to wander from that of our parents, to those around us. When we start to question and explore who others think we are, and who we are discovering ourselves to be. We begin to realise the opinions of others holds a lot of weight and we feel the piercing glare of of the world around us. Asking if we fit in. If we are enough.

In our image obsessed culture, we might spend longer than we like to admit thinking about how we appear to others. Not just in how we look  but what job we have, what house we live in, what we wear, by the places we go and who we go with.

Phones are made to take “selfies”, and the selfie camera is designed to correct our “flaws”. We then filter out any further unwanted imperfections with the wonders of modern technology.

However, James 1:23-25 says,

“For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”

James 1:23-25

God is commanding us to look at ourselves in the mirror, alone. He’s not talking about all the flashy parts. The parts we want everyone to see. Isn’t He talking about the ugly ones? No matter what we tell ourselves or how much we try to cover them up, they are always there. The parts we shove back down and pretend don’t exist. The jealousy, the comparison, the need to be right, the anxiety, depression, the anger, hurt, pain, the illness….. the sin. Because it’s there in every one of us.….. To be human is to ache. And we continue stare longingly at beauty that fades and only catch a fleeting glance of the pride that holds us captive to our weakness.

But isn’t admitting our weakness the very thing that makes us strong? When we eventually fall in a heap and admit we don’t have what it takes?

But instead of surrendering my weakness to Him I carry it around. And my shoulders slouch a little. And I trust in my own abilities, things, finances and whatever such security systems I have made.

Where is your hope found?

When we gaze into God’s word often, we can’t forget what we look like. The good, the bad and the ugly. When gazing at God’s word we can stare right into the one who knows all of us, and loves us anyway. All of our weaknesses and flaws and still tells us, “Come as you are”.

God’s grace is the ultimate selfie camera. It covers all our flaws and makes us all so much more beautiful.

Freedom from our aching and self imposed striving is found only in the grace Jesus died to give us.

“Under the old covenant, the priest stands before the altar day after day, offering sacrifices that can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time.”

Hebrews 1:11-12

His perfect grace covers our flaws and we can grace the world with perfect posture, confident eye contact and a poise that transcends understanding on this (at times), painful earth.

What is Hannah asking you? Maybe it’s a question, or maybe it’s a reminder of the beauty of grace. Perhaps she is a reminder that we can be the mirror of God’s grace others so desperately need.

Isn’t art amazing? It always amazes me that our creative God can use the creation of human hands to remind us who He is, and how He loves us so much.

Blessings,

Mel.