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“Identity In Imago Dei Delivers Lord's Love!”

Maggie To
Pittsburgh Standard

Other than striking me as some Latin phrase with an ambiguous pronunciation, imago dei initially held no significance for me. It wasn’t until I encountered the meaning of the phrase that I realized its implications – that these two words encompass the core of my identity.

Identity: sense of self.                                                                                        

People use several different criteria to mold their identities: ethnicity, gender, and culture, to name a few. In this sense, I would identify as an Asian American female, born and raised in the United States, but inherently wired with different customs than what would be labeled “mainstream American.” We’ve been unfairly labeled with all sorts of stereotypes, but the underlying notion remains – Asian Americans feel like a different breed.

Imago dei is first encountered in the Creation story in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. For many of us, the Creation story is an easy story to gloss over. It’s so commonplace and most of us think we know it so well that it has lost its power.

At a leadership conference in early February,  about 100 Asian American students from universities scattered about the Midwest gathered to delve into the deeper implications of the Creation account. Not surprisingly, the conference was called Imago Dei. It carried the tagline, “embracing identity, empowered community.”

We’re special to God. Most of us know this off the top of our heads, “yeah sure, we’re made in God’s image.”

But what’s beautiful about Genesis is that God never directly says this, He shows it.

When God finishes making the heavens, the waters, and even the animals, He says it is good. When He finishes making us, He not only says we’re good, He says we’re “very good.”

Something that I’ve never noticed before – God makes the rest of creation by word of mouth. He says, and there is. What’s significant about us is we’re the only portion of creation for which God actually uses materials.

"then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."  Genesis 2:7

It's an intimate picture. With his own hands, God molded us. We're special. But what’s important to remember is that we’re fearfully and wonderfully made JUST the way we are, ethnicity included.

Psalm 139: 13-14 tells us: "For you created my inmost being;  you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,  I know that full well."

I can’t say I’ve always been proud to be Asian American. Like any other culture, I truly believe my culture has its share of flaws. But what I’ve come to realize is that my identity, including my ethnicity, is deemed ‘very good’ in the eyes of the Creator.

Who am I to object?

Each of us, whether white, black, yellow, purple, or green has been formed fearfully and wonderfully. We are engineered the way we are for specific purposes, and yet in spite of our cultural differences, or even BECAUSE of our cultural differences, we represent the body of Christ. We are the God-breathed, living, moving images of the Holy God. Imago Dei, more than a phrase, it’s our identity.

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"Christian Conferences Change Powerfully Pitt Students Spirits"  (Jan 23, 10, 11:48 a.m.) By Maggie To & Allison Lebo