Living Reconciled
Living Reconciled, hosted by Mission Mississippi, is a podcast dedicated to exploring reconciliation and the Gospel that enables us to live it out. Mission Mississippi has been leading the way in racial reconciliation in Mississippi for 31 years. Our model is to bring people together to build relationships across racial lines so they can work together to better their communities. Our mission is to encourage and demonstrate grace in the Body of Christ across racial lines so that communities throughout Mississippi can see practical evidence of the gospel message.
Living Reconciled
EP. 66: Image-Bearers Part 2
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What if recognizing every person as an image bearer of God could heal our divided society? In this episode of Living Reconciled Neddie and Austin join Brian to explore how Genesis 1:26 calls us beyond political and racial divides to embrace our shared humanity. Through personal stories and historical insights, we confront the dangers of letting ideology overshadow Christian values and discuss the heavy burdens pastors face in a fast-paced world. Reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr. and the parable of the Samaritan, we challenge ourselves to live out a faith rooted in love and action. We also highlight the impactful work of Mission Mississippi, inviting you to be part of reconciliation efforts that promote unity and understanding.
Special thanks to our sponsors:
Nissan, St. Dominic's Hospital, Atmos Energy, Regions Foundation, Mississippi College, Anderson United Methodist Church, Grace Temple Church, Mississippi State University, Real Christian Foundation, Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Christian Life Church, Ms. Doris Powell, Mr. Robert Ward, and Ms. Ann Winters.
This is Living Reconciled, a podcast dedicated to giving our communities practical evidence of the gospel message by helping Christians learn how to live in the reconciliation that Jesus has already secured for us by living with grace across racial lines. Hey, thanks so much for joining us on this episode of Living Reconciled. I am your host, Brian Crawford, with my co-host and very good and incredible friends, Nettie Winters, Austin Hoyle. Gentlemen, how are you doing today?
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm good. I'm real good I love being an incredible friend.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, man, because you are an incredible friend and we got incredible friends that help us make this podcast possible Folks like Mississippi College, anderson United Methodist Church, grace Temple Church, mississippi State University, real Christian Foundation, nissan, st Dominic's Hospital, atmos Energy, regents Foundation, brown Missionary Baptist Church, christian Life Church, ms Doris Powell, mr Robert Ward, ms Ann Winters. Thank you all so much for everything that you do. It's because of what you do that we are able to do what we do. And today, gentlemen, what we are doing is picking up in a conversation that we started just a few weeks ago on image bearing, bearing the image of God.
Speaker 1:The scripture tells us in Genesis, chapter one, verse 26,. Then God said let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God. He created him male and female. He created them, nettie and Austin.
Speaker 1:I believe this is one of the anchor scriptures in the Bible as it relates to relationships, as it relates to how we are to see one another in the world as it relates to how we are to build civilizations, but also as to how civilizations crumble, as to how nations are destroyed, as to how war breaks out and conflict arises is either our ability to capture this truth and embed this truth deeply in our hearts, or our inability to capture it and our tendency to lose sight of it.
Speaker 1:And so today, we spent some time in last episode talking about the significance and meaning of the image of God, and we teased out some challenges, but I want to dig a little deeper into the challenges. Why is it so difficult for us to see one another as image bearers, and what are the consequences of not seeing one another as image bearers in our culture? This is an important topic, especially in our current moment, and so I'm excited to talk to two very incredible and intelligent men to help me make sense of it. Nettie, when you think about the current challenges that we are faced with right now, what is one challenge that stands out to you as it relates to our inability to see one another as image bearers?
Speaker 2:Because we're so popularized by what I think is dehumanization of humankind, if I can say it that way. It's us against them. It's polarized around politics, race or some other aspect of our lives, and we see ourselves. I guess the greatest challenge would be we see ourselves in our own image. We see ourselves as non-image bearers of God because we judge and label and classify and put people in categories or cliques or clans, whatever the case might be. And so when we look at each other, we're not looking for the first of all, we're not looking for the image of God. We're looking for the worst in folks, and most of the time we accommodate them. Of all, we're not looking for the image of God, we're looking for the worst in quotes, and most of the time we accommodate them.
Speaker 2:That'd be, my observation, as I fail you to recognize the image of the Imago Dei of each other, in terms of making the image and likeness of God. I tell people many times, especially when I'm speaking, I say, if you want to see the image of God, just stand around and look at each other. You know, look in the mirror, you see the image of God, and sometimes people go with an aha moment or some other thing, but most of the time we just we see human beings, and I guess as human beings they would kind of put them in a category, a class of found in some way or another, rather than going back to God's in, uh, in lightness, and that we're made image of the likeness of God. And so, with that being said, right. So I believe that that within us has the image and likeness of God.
Speaker 2:There is a DNA of relationship, there are DNA of of accepting one another, receiving one another in the eyes of God, how God has received us, how he created us, and so what's buried within us is a desire, or adamant part of our being is to be accepted, to be recognized as a fellow human being. But at the same time, our DNA says we must have relationship, and many times we go about developing our relationships in different ways, but most times it's not in the way that God would have us be. So God designed us to have a relationship with him, a relationship with ourselves and a relationship with others, and when either one of those are out of sync, it malfunctioned all relationships, if I can put it that way.
Speaker 2:So, we have a response to what God has put in us, to respond to him in the right way and respond to ourselves in the right not react but respond to ourselves in the right way Then we have a right relationship with each other and we can see in others what God has put in us and in them in terms of this image bearing of God. And just be frank, when we see people acting, the way human beings act at their works, we tend to categorize people, put them in categories. We just begin to uh think of ways of dehumanizing or degrading, uh demoralizing folks in in in terms of our reaction to that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nettie, I, um, I, I definitely agree with, um, everything that you said. You said quite a bit that stands out to me. The ideal of us categorizing. It feels like oftentimes we forget that our fundamental identity is image bearers. No-transcript. We are professionals before we are pastors and preachers before we are politicians.
Speaker 1:We are image bearers, and if we lose sight of that fundamental reality that we belong to God before, before any of those other layered identities that we tend to focus on and pay a lot more attention to, if we lose sight of that fundamental reality that before we belong to anybody and anyone else, we belong to God, then we we set the table for chaos, disorder, division and dissension, because in image bearing, not only do we come to the truth and the reality that we belong to God, which is primary, but in image bearing we also come to the truth and the reality that we belong to one another, because we are fellow image bearers and so we belong to God. He created us in his image and likeness, but also he created us in his image and likeness, ultimately, like you said, nettie, to have relationship with him, with ourselves, but also with one another and his created order, his creation. Those relationships right To do right by God, to do right in terms of how we maintain ourselves, to do right as it relates to our fellow neighbor and brothers around us. And to do right by his created order and caretaking and keeping, and, and, and, and and exercising dominion that he has given us over it Right. Let me come in, and I mentioned a quote, uh, during that, during those final talks, that still just kind of it continues to linger with me and resonate with me, and that quote was from mother theresa, and she said if we have no peace, if we have no peace, it's because we have forgotten that we belong to one another.
Speaker 1:And I think, I think she's getting at the heart of that kind of fundamental image bearing reality that's so hard for us to keep, keep hold of and keep a grasp of that, that when we lose our sense of peace, it is oftentimes we lose it because we have forgotten that we belong to God first and foremost, but it is also because we have forgotten that we belong to one another.
Speaker 1:We begin to create silos. The camps, the identities that we label ourselves with become barriers and anchors. That keeps us, you know, kind of tied, tied down to the chaos, so to speak. And so, yeah, man, it's about remembering at our foundation who we are and walking fully in that identity before we walk in any other identity that's made available to us. Not that any of those other identities are bad, but it's just recognizing that, first and foremost, we're image bearers and then letting all the other identities build on to that identity. Austin, when you think about some of our challenges that we're facing right now regarding the ability to see one another as image bearers, what stands out to you?
Speaker 3:Well, I just I want to echo one thing and kind of add you know, because I love how we're digging around in the first few chapters of Genesis right now, you know we have in Genesis 3, as soon as sin enters the world, you know, everything kind of shifts right. Adam and Eve they once had perfect unity with one another and I think it's the image of perfect unity that's in the Bible but they turn on each other. Adam blames Eve, eve blames the serpent, and Adam also blames God for giving him a woman that would cause him to have problems. But their eyes have been opened, but not in the way that they had hoped. So they see through the lens of shame, fear, self-preservation. So division begins to take root and it really just grows ever since then. So to the point where we now live in a culture that constantly reinforces the same thing you guys are talking about.
Speaker 3:Separation doesn't teach us to see people as God's image bearer. It teaches us to see them as opponents to people to be. You know, it tells us that identity is so wrapped up in our ideologies, our political beliefs, our social positions. That identity is so wrapped up in our ideologies, our political beliefs, our social positions tell us that whoever we happen to disagree with are just wrong. And not just wrong, but actually dangerous people, dangerous people to be eradicated. So you know, when you begin to see other people as dangerous people to be eradicated, what does that do to you? That makes you a dangerous person to be eradicated as well. And so the cycle begins to continue. And that's where we are in our society. That's where Europe was 100 years ago in their society.
Speaker 3:And the problem with that is we allow our ideology to take priority over the gospel, allow our ideology to take priority over the gospel, even though we may use trappings of religious language within how we conceptualize and how we bring up.
Speaker 3:You know how, whatever it is, we want to navigate the world. Oftentimes so much of our Cuban philosophy is put into even our presentation of what we understand sometimes to be the gospel, to the point where it also has an ideological takeover. We see this happening on every side of the ideological spectrum. It's a product and I think Genesis 3 is really clear in showing it's a product of just being humans who are living in a broken and in a fallen world. So you have some voices in our culture that say that if we truly love others, we should never challenge them, never call out sin, never question moral or theological drift, never stand for biblical truth, that overemphasis of compassion but stripped of conviction and turning grace into just mere tolerance of other people's ideas and living. Jesus didn't do that. He loves sinners and he called them to repent right.
Speaker 3:He called the broken and he them to to sin no more. He showed mercy and he declared himself as the only way to the father.
Speaker 3:You know, and if it, and really at the same time. Also, there are all these voices that have just weaponized truth, without grace, right. They use scripture as a tool for condemnation rather than redemption. They don't look at their own plank in their own eye. They treat those outside of their group, of their ideology, of their camps, with contempt, irredeemable people who are dangerous. They should be eradicated. I see this on every side. I see this on every side. It's not a problem with one side of the ideological spectrum versus the other.
Speaker 3:Jesus never really did that stuff either. He caught out sin, but he also never lost the sight of the person. He had very strong words for the pharisees, but, but he also spoke to nicodemus with, with kindness and talk about, talk to him about the new birth, uh, that he was going to have to have. Uh, you know, he warned against the, uh, the hypocrisy, but he also wept over, uh, over jerusalem, uh, as, uh, as, as, as he saw then them falling further and further away from God and away from what they truly could be and actualizing who God intended and wanted for them to be, to the point where God had to send his son.
Speaker 3:So the challenge is, you know, how are we going to allow all these divisions of the world to define us? You know, are we going to try to choose to live as people who really do listen to Genesis 1, 26 and 27? People who really do see the image of God in others, even when we disagree? You know, I've seen people turn just radically their faces and the look in their eyes just become almost erratic when they're presented with someone who might have just the slightest bit of disagreement with them on this or that issue and it's almost like it's a desperation I've seen in people's eyes sometimes. I mean it's truly frightening that becomes the fundamental image right.
Speaker 1:That becomes the fundamental identity is my political identity, my cultural identity. It becomes the identity or it becomes the lens that I see all of life through. And so that's why, when someone comes against that identity and stands for something else or has a different position or a different policy understanding, then all of a sudden I see that person as the person like you said, to be eradicated. And of course, we're fresh off of King holiday, king birthday, mlk, junior Dr King. Ok, junior Dr King.
Speaker 1:But one of the things that Dr King oftentimes stressed is the power of hate to transform not to hate it, but to transform the hater. The hater becomes deformed and de-imaged, imaged, and so we lose our identity when we begin to make enemies of people that are not fitting these particular identities that we've raised above the identity that we have as image bearers and the identity that we have in Christ. And so it becomes, like you said, we see someone as a danger and then, as we see that person as a danger, now we're saying now we're actually becoming a danger as well because we are being changed Right and over and over again. I see, you see this happening in our culture we're getting meaner, more aggressive, more short tempered, less willing to negotiate, less willing to have give and take.
Speaker 1:There's just an instant. Oh, that's the way you think. Okay, you're not somebody that I can have a conversation with. Not only are you not somebody that I can have a conversation with, you are someone that I must demolish. That I must remove that, I must get out of the way. That I must demolish that, I must remove that, I must get out of the way. And it's that kind of reshaping and reforming that's happening in us, because we've lost sense of our primary identity.
Speaker 4:Exactly Now. There are people who truly are dangerous in this world. Yes, 100%.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, yeah, yeah. And in church settings, whether they're going to be dangerous emotionally and spiritually or actually physically, you know you have to. As church leaders, we have to approach it in different ways. I just wanted to throw out a little.
Speaker 1:There are wolves trying to devour the sheep.
Speaker 3:Exactly, exactly, there is that. So sometimes we do have to stand firmly in situations, 100%, you know, even if it appears that we're standing against somebody, but that's, that's just. Uh, that's the product of leadership. Living in a fallen world, more than more than I think, uh, we, we should be looking at, you know, eradicating someone, so to speak.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, austin, you bring that point up that there are evil people in the world, but many times and oftentimes, we perceive people that are not evil, that are not our enemy, as threats or as danger and we treat them as though they're uh enemies and they're threat as as uh evil people or whatever else. You know, regardless of the human behavior, we're still created as human beings, wild, un-wild, tame, untamed. However you want to put that, we're still in the image and likeness of God. As you all were talking, I was thinking about Paul in Romans 12. Paul says I beseech you, brethren. Therefore, because of the created image and likeness of God, god has created us in his image and likeness. He has shared his grace and mercy with us. He had been kind unto us even when we were his enemy. He demonstrated his love to us and he said therefore, present your bodies as if it as living in holy sacrifice, which is a sacrifice for God.
Speaker 2:Once you make that presentation, once you submit and surrender your life to God, then you ought to see people as they ought to be seen, because his next verse says don't be conformed to all the stuff that we're talking about. Right, he said, be transformed by what you know, since you have given yourself to God. Now we've got to transform your thinking. You've got to change your thinking, you've got to change your thought process, you've got to change how you see others. But, more importantly, he said, do not think more of yourself than you ought to think, and you shouldn't think less of yourself than you ought to think and you shouldn't think less of yourself than you ought to think.
Speaker 2:So the challenge again, brian, as your original question, the challenge again is how I see myself, or how I see others. I see myself as being superior or inferior. Then I got a complex and I'm in depressed or I don't have the right kind of sense about myself. Therefore, I feel insecure, I feel inferior. I feel all these things because I see myself as being less than what God actually created me to be. So, therefore, for me to think more of myself, I got to think less of you, yeah, or if I think less of myself, I got to think more of you.
Speaker 2:So it just messes things up in terms of how we bear witness or bear image of God, how we reflect that image of God. It all depends on how my mind is operating at the moment in terms of how I see myself. I can get my image of myself correctly in the sight of God, not thinking more of what I am, but thinking, having a right balance of myself. I have value, you have value, we all have value. I have to look at that. I don't have value based on what God has decided, not based on my standards of wealth, economics, race, political authority, political power, all these things that we take athletes and put them in a category that they don't need to be in because they make all this money. We think they're some kind of hero and they could be.
Speaker 1:Identity issue. Remember that there it is right there. Another identity issue where we equate money, finances, riches as a primary identity versus image bear. Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. Sorry to disrupt. Yeah, I was just thinking about.
Speaker 2:you know, when Charles Buckler was playing basketball, this mother and son came up to him and and she was talking about how he was the the kid's role model. And they started talking and Charles Barkley the interim saying ain't nobody's role model, I'm just a guy running down the court throwing a ball through a hoop. I'm not no role model. You know, in essence, you know people would laugh at that, but in essence that was true.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:He said there are many people out there that can be doing the same thing I'm doing. Why are you escalating me to some level of intellect or intelligence or some achievement that I'm not any more or less than anyone else I'm talking about? In my estimation, that's what he's stating. I'm no role model. I mess up just like everybody else. I do stupid things like everybody else. I do stupid things like everybody else. And he went on to prove that. In fact, some people say every time, every time you open his mouth, he proves that you know.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Search Hallmark.
Speaker 2:You know I don't want to pick on him, but you know there are people that think, as all three of us have been pastors, you two are pastors now there are people that think of pastors in a way. Like you know, I used to have a kid who used to come to church and say, oh, that's Jesus, mama, I'm like golly, you're Jesus, you know. And so we represent images that people kind of can I say this we represent an image that people created in their own mind Because we're pastors, we're supposed to be super human or something. I don't know what the expectation is. It depends on the person I'm talking to many a times and what they expect the pastor to be. And people address me sometimes and I say just call me Nettie. Oh, no, no, no, no, you the pastor, I got to call you pastor. I got to. You know, you ain't got to call me anything. You know. Sometimes I just say just you call me whatever you want to, just don't forget to call me to eat Right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I mean, nettie, I think too, you know we're talking about challenges that we're faced with in terms of the ability to see image barriers. Well, I think one of those great challenges, too, is also hurry. We live in this kind of constant movement, constant go, rush, rush, rush, rush, rush onto the next, onto the next, onto the next challenge, onto the next task, onto the next goal, and what that does is it keeps us from slowing down and seeing each other and just pausing. I love what happens in Luke, chapter six, when Jesus is about to heal the man with the wither hand, and the Pharisees are there doing what they do with Jesus, which is looking for something to trip him up or looking for a reason to say that he is, he is not, he is not the guy, and so they are looking to see if he's going to going to heal this man with their hand on the Sabbath and Jesus before he heals the man Not on the Sabbath With that slender sack.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry, go ahead. I couldn't just tell you Go ahead.
Speaker 1:So they're looking to see if he's going to heal that man. But interesting enough, before he heals him, he has the man stand up in front of the Pharisees and he tells them to look at him. And basically he wants them to see the man and says what would you have me do? Look at this man, look at him, look at his challenge, look at his struggle, look at his lack or inability to experience true rest. And here he is in front of me, a man that can give him the God that can give him true rest. And you're trying to withhold true rest from him because it's on the day of rest. But I love what he does before he goes.
Speaker 2:All you need to rest is a day of rest.
Speaker 1:Right, you're withholding true rest from a man because you say, no, you can't do that on the day of rest and this man needs true rest, he's in front of the Lord of the rest, but he can't get rest because you don't want us to do this on the day of rest. Yeah, and so. What's interesting, though, is he says just look at him, look at the man, and I think there are times in which we don't look at each other. We're just in a constant state of hurry, blowing by people one after the other, and we lose the marvel of image bearers because we lose the ability to stop and pause.
Speaker 1:You know one of the things when you go to New York City, there are two things that people are going to typically consider New York City to be known for One hurry, constant pace, constant movement, hustle and bustle traffic. But the second thing rudeness. So they see, OK, if I'm going to be in New York City, they're going to be moving, moving, moving, moving, moving. But also, because they're moving, moving, moving, moving, moving, I shouldn't expect a whole lot of greeting, I shouldn't expect a whole lot of pausing and stopping to hear people ask me how my day is. I probably should expect people to be on the edge or blowing their horn if I'm not moving quick enough for them and all of this kind of stuff. So those two things, what you learn very much, run together. Hurry and disregard Austin, where there is a increase in hurry, increase in goals and achievement, and accomplishment and success and all of those things, if we're not careful they become primary and when they become primary, the image bearing becomes secondary Before the Internet.
Speaker 2:You know, before the Internet and online stuff, media and all of that, the digital space and all of that, we just call it the rat race. Yes, sir, you know, and you know. If, in fact, somebody in New York asks you how your day was, don't expect for them to wait and listen.
Speaker 4:You know like and if they said let's do lunch.
Speaker 2:Don't expect for them to follow up with it. You know so, but that's a miniature of our culture and, unfortunately, Brian, it's the miniature of the church more than anything else.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, let me make sure if we got any New York friends listening, let me make sure that I share that. This is not just your dilemma now. This is all of our dilemma. This is a cultural dilemma.
Speaker 2:That would be the dilemma in Beechburg Mississippi.
Speaker 1:Even Beechburg Mississippi.
Speaker 2:What about Tyler Towns?
Speaker 4:He's definitely saying, yeah, new York really is that way, but we all are too. So don't worry, new York, I love it, I love it. I'm hearing you guys talking about the rush.
Speaker 3:I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that we have such an externally based religion, but most of the time is that we don't internalize it well enough. The prophet Amos, really, I think, speaks to that significantly, because the people of Israel were absolutely meticulous about their religious observances, their feasts, their sacrifices. But you know, in Amos 5, 21 through 24, he says I hate, I despise your feasts, I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. But let justice roll down like waters and rise this like an ever-flowing stream. He's talking about allowing just the current of God's mercy and grace to run through us, not for us to chase some type of external goal or ambition. That really leaves us incapable of having even the kindest conversation with those who simply ask us how our day is.
Speaker 3:You know, we're so focused on this rush, this ritual, oftentimes, and even in our external lives. Isn't that the?
Speaker 1:Good Samaritan story too in some ways.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, you know, I want to stop you when you bring up the word Good Samaritan.
Speaker 2:The Bible says a certain Samaritan and not Good Samaritan. The Bible says a certain Samaritan and not Good Samaritan. And when you listen, now listen, and this is right in line with I'm glad you brought that, this right in line with what we're talking about, because we, as human beings, have put captions in our books and Bibles about the Good Samaritan, but the Bible talks about a certain Samaritan, so this Good Samaritan. But the Bible talks about a certain Samaritan, so this Good Samaritan? When I think about the Good Samaritan, sir, I think, well, all other Samaritans are bad. Mm-hmm, isn't that the way we do things? Are these excuse me, but this you fill in the blank. This is good folks. Put your adjective on folks, whether it be white folks, black folks, chinese, whatever. This is one of the good ones.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know Well, isn't that like the certain Samaritan Dr Hoyle?
Speaker 4:Well, how about? Maybe I don't know, but hey, how about I go around and say, hey, hey, don't worry, I'm one of the good ones. Yeah, does that work? Yeah?
Speaker 2:Brian, that does that work. Yeah, right, does that work. Maybe, maybe they'll change their mind, you know can I? Say that no, no, you can't say uh, no, I don't think it works.
Speaker 4:I don't think that works but no, I love it, but that's what we do and so he said the good samaritan.
Speaker 2:All other samaritans are bad samaritan. But the bible says talk about a certain Samaritan and describe that. And so I've been complimented and insulted in the same sentence. Nitty, you're different. Okay, that mean I'm not like the rest. That mean that. What do that mean? And why? Well, you different, Nettie. What do that mean? You know, as you know, we have the days of dialogue. I don't have people sitting at the table with me and look at me, but, Nettie, you different. I'm going to like different. Who are you talking about? I'm different from? What are you doing you talking about? All black folks are bad and you just have to be one of the good ones. And I've, I've met. Well, you're different, I know you Well. Maybe, if you get to know the rest of the folks, maybe they would be different too. And what you, whatever? Whatever that means I'm talking about, that's a. For me, that's a compliment and an insult all in the same sentence. Right, right, yeah, but but?
Speaker 1:but but yeah, I mean, I agree with that, I agree, we button, button, but but no, no, no, no, no, no. A certain samaritan, a certain samaritan, austin, remember not.
Speaker 2:What's that now? We're your incredible friend, remember.
Speaker 4:You don't have to say that's right, that's right, but I was about to ask y'all when we first did that do y'all y'all's wives also call you, mr incredible, or is that just me?
Speaker 1:That's just you.
Speaker 4:Austin, that's just you.
Speaker 1:That's my side. But no, seriously, guys, I mean, when you talk about this ideal, of this hurry, you see it, even as you mentioned Austin. You see it in Scripture, where there is a commitment to law keeping. I mean, in fact, that's what you know. You see that in Luke 6, even where there is the Pharisees, who have their laws and ordinances that they're holding fast to, and because of that they can't see this wounded man in need of rest to ensure that he gets rest.
Speaker 1:And the same thing with people that are rushing to kingdom duty or rushing to temple duty, and in the midst of rushing to temple duty and rushing to serve quote unquote, serve they miss those quiet and slower moments where God has given us to serve and to see, to see one another.
Speaker 1:I think seeing one another man is just way more difficult than we tend to acknowledge right now. It's becoming more and more difficult to pause, to stop and to see, and that's one thing I've been deeply challenged with here in the last several months is to see, is to stop, is to pause and to see. And I realize even in myself I'm not sure if this is something that resonates with you guys, but I realize that the more hurried I am, the less capacity I hold to see. It just seems to be a regular recurrence and, to be honest with you, being really personal right now, it starts even in my own house, right, being able to see my spouse and being able to see my children, see my boys, see my sons. It starts right here. When I get into the hustle and bustle, they're typically the first people that I lose sight of, and and it just continues to build and compound on top of that.
Speaker 2:I don't know, so I believe, go ahead, jump in there no, I'm gonna say I don't know about in your household, but my wife's the first one to point that out to me. You know you also. She never called me Mr Incredible, but I referred to her as God's advisor. Yeah, but she's urgent, she gives counsel to God, and so when I say that, it's like you've got to be kidding me, you know she looks at me with that. That's not a compliment.
Speaker 1:Hey guys, we're well past a half hour into this podcast. I want to put a bow on it. Let me see if I can get you guys to offer our listening audience.
Speaker 2:As long as the bow is purple, man, we're good.
Speaker 1:Well, let me see if I can get you guys with a purple bow to offer our listening audience as any counsel on ways in which they can live a life that is recognizing the image bearing nature that exists in all of us, seeing one another as image bearers. Give me just some practical, one practical step that they can take in doing that.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, this is a practical step, but most of the time we don't understand it. You know, the Bible says treat people as you want to be treated, love each other and do those things. I think in order for this to happen, we got to be very intentional about seeing people as God sees them. I don't, you know, and that's. I don't want that to sound like a cliche statement, but most times it gets included in cliches like well, just see people like God, sam. Well, how do you do that? You do that through love, humility and a biblical perspective of others in terms of that. So how do I say this, brian? You said we don't see people that way. Part of the problem is seeing. We see people through the lens of the view that we see as we see.
Speaker 2:You would talk about New York, vicksburg, other places. We got that image of how it looks and whether have we actually gone there and really experienced? I've been to New York several times. I've never been treated. I've never been. How do I say this? No one has treated me rude. I'm going to say Sure, I've had people to surround and really talk to me and treat me as a decent person and I really enjoy being in New York. I remember going there the first time and the guy went out his way to show me the baseball park that my dad wanted to see and Statue of Liberty and other things. They personally did that that guy had time, eddie, yeah, and so he was probably from Mississippi, but anyway. So we got to see each other as God sees us and reflect that image from ourselves first and then to others.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Austin give me one practical takeaway that people can leave this podcast episode with in terms of going forward to recognize the image of God in others.
Speaker 3:I said, be doers, not just knowers, and be doers and beers. So you love in action, not just in words. You know, james 2.15.16 says If a brother or sister is poorly clothed or lacking in daily food and one of you say to them Go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? You know? So if we truly believe in the worth of every person, it challenges us how we treat them, how we speak to them, how we advocate for them, how we show up when they're in need. Really, because at the end of the day, this isn't just about thinking differently, it's about living differently, it's about being the people God has called us to do. And Jesus didn't just see people. I mean, he saw them, but he didn't just see them, he also moved towards them, he gave them a way forward, he met them where they were, he loved them, even when they were unlovable, and then he eventually gave them the path towards redemption. And I just think he calls us to do the same. Amen.
Speaker 2:Redemptive love is so important that we live it out Amen.
Speaker 1:Amen. Christ is the ultimate example in this, in terms of he saw us and he acted towards us, john 3.16,. God so loved that he gave his only begotten son, and we see clear examples of that all throughout scripture. The sacrificial, selfless, humble, compassionate love that we see over and over again Jesus demonstrating towards us is the same love that he calls us to demonstrate towards others. A new commandment I give you love one another as I have loved you, and so also to your point. The ability to recognize one another as image bearers doesn't end and doesn't stop with just recognition, but it, but it. But it continues through action, it continues through good works, and it's in those good works that men and women get a chance to see glimpses of our Father in heaven and give glory and thanks and praise to him. And so, listening audience, we appreciate you guys listening to us on today and we hope that there was something important or something convicting or compelling that was shared.
Speaker 1:We want to invite you to continue to listen to the Living Reconciled podcast. You to continue to listen to the Living Reconciled podcast. You can do that by subscribing to any podcast or using any podcast directory, using any podcast app, searching on Living Reconciled and you should find us. We are grateful, and thankful also for all the contributions and support that is made to Living Reconciled but that is made to Mission Mississippi. We could always use your help and your support and investment.
Speaker 1:If you would like to contribute to the work of Mission Mississippi, you can do so by visiting missionmississippiorg, find us on Facebook, instagram, social media. We would love to chat with you, get your feedback on how we can continue to serve our state and our world as it relates to the work of reconciliation. I'm Brian Crawford, with my incredible friends Nettie Winters, austin Hoyle, signing off saying God bless, god bless, god bless. Thanks for joining Living Reconciled. If you would like more information on how you can be a part of the ongoing work of helping Christians learn how to live in the reconciliation that Jesus has already secured, please visit us online at missionmississippiorg or call us at 601-353-6477. Thanks again for listening.
