"For of all natures that He hath set in diverse creatures by part, in man is all the whole; in fullness and in virtue, in fairness and in goodness, in royalty and nobleness, in all manner of majesty, of preciousness and worship."
Julian of Norwich (ch. 62)
All that is created comes from the mind and will of God. He sends forth all natures, all kinds of living things, and each kind of living thing has the stamp of God as Creator and something of the Nature of Christ through whom all is created. But in humans alone is found the whole Nature of Christ, for we are made in the image and likeness of God, so much so that Christ calls us His brothers and sisters. We are children of God that bear the family likeness and have a nature deriving from Christ. Thus our nature is full of virtue, goodness, and beauty like Christ, and our nature is truly Christlike. As deriving and coming forth from Christ, our nature is royal, noble, and majestic and it is truly precious and valued. We may often feel broken, inferior, defective or incomplete, but according to God we are beautiful, good, noble and precious. According to God we are like Christ Himself. According to God there is nothing wrong with us, nothing wrong with our creation in His image, nothing wrong with our humanity deriving from Christ, nothing wrong with our nature that is sourced in Christ's nature. Instead of putting ourselves down, we can see ourselves as valuable and virtuous as Christ, as lovely and precious as every other person, as complete and whole as when we were first created. We can value and honor ourselves and every other person, and treat ourselves with dignity and love, as God does. For it is delightful to the Father to see His own features reflected in His children!
"You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor.."
Hebrews 2:7 (NIV)
A Prayer: Thank You for seeing in me Your family image and likeness.