Encouragement for Today

January 9, 2025 Remember Who You Are LYSA TERKEURST Lee en español

“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31a (ESV)

“Remember who you are.”

These are words I spoke to my children countless times when they were younger. I wanted them to remember they are children of the almighty God. If they remembered this truth, they would be able to live by it.

Genesis 1-2 is where this idea originates. As we navigate a world full of hurt and hearts so often full of shame, reading these first two chapters of the Bible feels like hearing God whisper to us: Remember who you are. Remember how I designed you. Remember all I’ve called you to be.

When God formed this world and its creatures, His goodness seeped in with every thought and touch. And when He was done, Genesis 1:31a says, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”

I love that God declared Adam and Eve to be exceedingly and abundantly good, even though the ingredients He used to make them were humble and basic: dust and broken-off bone (Genesis 2:7; Genesis 2:22). That doesn’t seem like the most promising of beginnings.

But chosen by God and then breathed on and touched by God, these ingredients became the only part of creation made in the image of God — nothing turned into the most glorious something. Adam and Eve were made to reflect the image of God. They made an invisible God’s image visible.

And I don’t want us to miss the significance of Genesis 2:18, where God said He would make Eve as “a helper suitable” for Adam (NIV).

The Hebrew word for “suitable” is neged, meaning “what is in front of you, in your sight, before your face, in your view.” This gives meaning to the kind of help Adam needed: Beyond just someone to help him work in the garden of Eden or someone uniquely designed to carry children, Adam needed a visual — someone in front of him, in view. This seems to me to be a reflection. Not like a mirror reflecting only what you place in front of it. No, this was more like a reminder that the woman standing in front of him was a reflection of God’s image.

It seems Eve, as a helper suitable for Adam, was to remind Adam of who he was — a human made in God’s image. A reflection of the glory of God and goodness of God. And this is a reminder Eve would have needed as well. Together, the first humans were to fill the earth with the glory of God — not just to be fruitful and multiply with children but to multiply evidence of God Himself (Genesis 1:28).

Their design in the image of God declared to the world, God is worthy of praise!

And their design declared to each other, Remember who you are. You are of God. From God. Made in His image. Loved from the depth of God’s unfathomable Father’s heart. Treasured beyond imagination.

This is the Divine Echo. This is what Adam and Eve were called to, and it’s what we’re called to as well. Not just married people but every person with a beating heart. And the more we remind each other of who we are, the more God’s goodness and glory will echo throughout the earth.

We aren’t just dust and bone.
We aren’t what we’ve done or what’s been done to us.
We aren’t the worst of what others have said about us.

We are the very breath and touch of God.
Designed and loved by God.
A reflection of the glory and goodness of God.

These are the truths I need to remember about who I am. I am so much more than the sum total of my hurt, pain and insecurities. Maybe it’s what you need as well … so hear God whisper to your soul today: Remember who you are.

Father God, what a humbling and beautiful gift it is to be Your image bearer. Help me to change how I see myself and others. Show me if there’s anyone I’ve been viewing through a lens of hurt and shame instead of Your divine lens of love. I want to speak life and truth into the hurting hearts of people who have forgotten who they are. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

Right here, right now, God’s grace is working in us and through us, shaping us into who He always intended us to be. In our new seven-week study, Fresh Start: A Study of the Book of Genesis, we’ll dive into the stories of creation and redemption to remind you that God is making all things new — and that includes you! We just began this study three days ago, but don’t worry … When you order today, we’ll send you a digital copy of the first two weeks so you can dive in immediately! Get your study guide here!

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

Genesis 1:27, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (NIV).

How does remembering who you are — a holy, dearly loved child of God made in His image — impact you? How will you see yourself and others differently today because of this truth?

We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.

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