In God's eyes, everyone is made in his image

Have you wondered why it is so difficult to love thy neighbor? Not the one you like, to whom you are similar – the other one. 

We have to begin with this one basic premise: We are all made in God’s image and likeness; no “ifs,” “ands” or “buts.” God himself tells us this in Genesis 1:27 – “God created mankind in his image; in the image of God, he created them; male and female, he created them.”

We may have different physical appearances, different education levels, different socioeconomic backgrounds, different opinions and experiences, different beliefs or political views and different abilities or disabilities. Regardless of those many differences, we are all made in God’s image and likeness. 

Every one of us is a unique and unrepeatable gift from God, made in God’s own image and precious to him. That fact is irrefutable. Once we all agree on that, what is next? 

Acknowledgment, which is accepting the truth or existence of something. While we can have different experiences based on who we are, where we live and how we chose to live, our perspective is not all encompassing. Just because you have not experienced a phenomenon  does not mean it does not exist. For example, if we are at a party and you do not see mosquitos, it does not mean that mosquitos are absent or that my bites do not exist. 

Empathy would be the next step. Instead of challenging my experience – “Well, I was at the same party and didn’t get bitten at all. … I’ve been bitten before, it’s not that bad” – listen. Listen not to refute, one up or minimize my experience. 

Listen to the voice of God’s child who is hurt. As 1 Corinthians reminds us, “If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it.” You may not physically feel my pain, but you can accept the fact that I am in pain. When we listen to hear, we are then able to ask for next steps. Sometimes, that will require action on our part, other times comfort and, always, prayer.

If we focus on the humanness of every life, we would be inspired to make different choices. Maybe, that is how we change hearts and how we care, not superficially, but seriously care enough to right the wrongs that exist; and care enough about somebody else’s life to make personal sacrifices to enhance the earthly experience for others. 

Maybe, that is why the second commandment is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Perhaps, God knew that was the only way we could overcome hardened hearts and care enough about the plight of others to be willing to sacrifice for them, stand up for them or carry their cross with them. 

Next time, we should try to see them through the eyes of love, as our heavenly father sees them.

Ty Salvant is a New Orleans native, cradle Catholic and stay-at-home mom. Before that, she was a research associate at LSU Health Sciences Center, where she met her husband, Derrick. They’ve been married for almost 20 years and have six children. She has been a homeschool teacher of her children for 13 years. Outside of volunteering, they enjoy going to the movies, playing games and spending time with friends/family. Send feedback to [email protected]. Be sure to include the columnist's name and headline in the subject line.