Encouragement for Today

July 13, 2023 Remember Who You Are LYSA TERKEURST Lee en español

“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31 (ESV)

“Remember who you are.”

These are words I've spoken to my children countless times, especially when they were younger. I want them to remember they are children of the almighty God. I know if they remember this truth, they will be better able to live this truth.

Genesis 1-2 reads like this kind of reminder to me. A reminder I needed when my heart was broken and it felt like everything good was slipping away from me. I felt so insignificant. I was trying to move forward after the deep pain of betrayal. I kept asking, “Is it even possible to heal from something like this?”

As we navigate a world full of hurt and hearts so often full of shame, these first two chapters of the Bible feel like God whispering to us: Remember who you are. Remember how I designed you. Remember all I’ve called you to be.

When God formed, shaped and painted this world and its creatures into being, His goodness seeped in with every thought and touch. And when He was done, Genesis 1:31a says, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”

I love that God declared Adam and Eve to be exceedingly and abundantly good, even though the actual ingredients He used to make them were so very humble and basic. Dust and broken-off bone (Genesis 2:7; Genesis 2:21-22) don’t seem like the most promising of beginnings.

Left on their own, these ingredients would amount to nothing. Insignificant. Unacceptable.

But chosen by God and then breathed on and touched by God, they became the only part of creation made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). They were nothing turned into the most glorious something. They were made to be a visible reflection of the image of an invisible God.

And I don’t want us to miss the significance of Genesis 2:18 when God said He would make a helper suitable for Adam. The Hebrew word translated “suitable” in the NIV Bible is נֶגֶד (neged), meaning “what is in front of you, in your sight, before your face, in your view.” So this word “suitable” gives meaning to the kind of help Adam needed. Beyond just needing a helper to work the garden or a partner uniquely designed to be able to carry children so they could bring forth life, Adam needed a visual — someone in front of him to view.

This seems to me to be a reflection, but not like a mirror reflecting only what you place in front of it. No, this was more like a reminder that what was standing in front of Adam was a reflection of God’s image.

It seems Eve, in being a helper suitable for Adam, was to be a reminder of who he was — a human made in God’s image. A reflection of the glory and goodness of God. It’s a reminder Eve would have needed as well. And together, Adam and Eve were to fill the earth with the glory of God. Not just to be fruitful and multiply by having children but to multiply evidence of God Himself (Genesis 1:28).

Their design in the image of God declared to the world, “God is worthy of praise!”

And their design allowed them to declare to each other, “Remember who you are. You are of God. From God. Made in His image. Loved from the unfathomable depth of the Father’s heart. Treasured beyond imagination.”

This is the Divine Echo. This is what Adam and Eve were called to, and it’s what we’re called to as well. Every single one of us with a beating heart. And the more we remind each other of who we really are, the more God’s goodness and glory will echo throughout the earth.

We aren’t just dust and bone.
We aren’t what we’ve done or what’s been done to us.
We aren’t the worst of what others have said about us.

We are the very breath and touch of God. Designed and loved by God. A reflection of the glory and goodness of God.

These are the truths I needed to remember about who I am. I am so much more than the sum total of my hurt and pain and insecurity. Maybe it’s what you need as well … so let me whisper to your soul: “Remember who you are.”

Father God, what a humbling and beautiful gift it is to be Your image bearer. Help me to change how I see myself and others. Show me if there’s anyone I've been viewing through a lens of hurt and shame instead of Your divine lens of love. I want my life to be a declaration of Your goodness and glory. And I want to speak life and truth into the hurting hearts of people who have forgotten who they are. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

Is your current schedule not allowing you the time to complete an entire Bible study? Or if you’re honest, have you just felt an overall lack of excitement around your quiet time with God lately? Friend, it’s OK. You’re not a bad Christian. And you’re certainly not a Bible-study failure. Lysa TerKeurst understands these struggles and has created a simplified framework for connecting with God daily in her new devotional: You’re Going to Make It: 50 Morning and Evening Devotions to Unrush Your Mind, Uncomplicate Your Heart, and Experience Healing Today. Purchase your copy today!

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

Romans 5:5, “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us …” (NLT).

Take a moment to reflect on what you learned in today’s devotion. How does knowing you’re loved by God and made in His image inform the thoughts you think about yourself? Share with us in the comments!

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