Today, I had planned to muse on Genesis 1:27 which says that God created mankind in his own image. Not just some of mankind. All of mankind. It was really uplifting. Here are some quotes I had planned to use.
“Before every person there marches an angel proclaiming, ‘Behold, the image of God.’”
~Jewish proverb
“We are not God. We are simply the image of God and our task is gradually to discover that image and set it free.”
~Michel Quoist, French theologian
These are lovely thoughts and I believe they’re absolutely true, but Monday we witnessed an aberration…a mass murder at a grocery store less than sixty miles from here. I’m angry and incredibly sad.
Why do people kill? Osama bin Laden had a vendetta. James Holmes had a mental illness. The Atlanta shooter felt “too tempted.” The list goes on. Rage. Racism. Rejection. Hate.
As we approach Easter, we’re reminded that Jesus was murdered too. I don’t know why the crowd wanted him killed. A few days earlier they had welcomed him into their city with a parade. This is all so disturbing. We’ve not progressed much, if any.
Have killers felt better or at least vindicated afterwards?
Tragically, maybe so, but they’ve lost as well. Most have lost their own lives or their freedom forever, but there’s something else.
They’ve lost sight of their name.
“To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character. Love is my name.”