In the Image of God
A Story of Identity and Value
By Joe Caruso Stories
“What makes you…YOU?” This is one of the biggest and most fundamental questions facing our society today. It’s not new; philosophers have been wrestling with this same question for centuries.
“I think, therefore I am.” – René Descartes
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Plato
“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” – Carl Jung
At the heart of this question lies our identity; the sense of who we are and where we fit into the world. How we see ourselves will influence everything we do. If we see ourselves in the proper perspective there’s almost nothing we can’t accomplish. And if we see ourselves from a negative perspective, almost everything will seem impossible.
My second children’s book, In the Image of God, was published on November 26, 2021, to address this issue of identity and value. A read-aloud video is included at the end of this blog.
In 2020 a little rhyme dropped into my head that I couldn’t get rid of. I knew it was a simple but important message that children needed to hear. Over a year later, these two simple lines became the recurring message that’s repeated throughout my book.
Children today are struggling to find themselves in a world that is quick to label them with various identities. The result is that many children feel isolated and confused. There’s an uncertainty as to who they are, where they fit in or why they matter.
Fortunately, God knew our identity since the beginning of time. In Genesis 1, we’re told that God made all of us in his image. As members of the human race, our identity is found in him.
What an amazing truth. We are God’s masterpiece! I put this verse on the last page of my book. It’s the final sentence a child hears before nodding off to sleep at night.
Imagine the creator of the universe making us in his image. But what exactly does that mean? Just as children bear the same characteristics as their birth parents, we as members of the human race bear some of the same characteristics as God our heavenly father. Many of his amazing qualities are planted deep inside us, just waiting to spring to life.
Children can discover within themselves many of the same attributes as God himself. Attributes such as goodness, wisdom, creativity and power. Being made in the image of God means that we are all designed with purpose.
It would be nice if everyone could see themselves the way God made them. But, unfortunately for too many of us, this is not the case. Just watching the news makes this reality painfully obvious. Nation against nation, group against group, individual against individual, in conflict, forgetting we’re all made in God’s image.
How do we begin to get ourselves out of such a mess? By expressing God’s greatest quality of all…love. God’s love has the power to change the world.
As Christians, we have a responsibility to share God’s love. When we show love to one another, we not only make the world a better place but also help others experience the love of Jesus. In doing so, others can begin to see that we are all created in the image of God.
Below is the read-aloud video of my book, In the Image of God. It was created by Ms. Marcia of Ms. Marcia’s Read Aloud Books. I hope the message touches your heart and you share it with someone you love.
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