Then God said, “ Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them

—Genesis 1:26-27

The majority of the relationships I’ve formed over the years have been a deep source of God’s blessing in my life. He has given me the kind of friends who will always be friends, no matter how long we are apart, numerous mentors who have helped me grow throughout the years, and an amazing family that’s full of Jesus followers. 

One of the things I’ve always deeply admired about my family is how open our family culture is. Rather than being exclusive, my family has always been eager to welcome new members. I first discovered this element of my family’s culture as a child when we began welcoming children from Belarus every summer through the American Belarussian Relief Organization. 

The two siblings who came to stay with us became family, and the tradition of unofficial adoption has continued through the years. New spouses don’t need to worry about whether or not they will be accepted, and it’s not a completely shocking scenario to show up at a holiday family celebration and find a stranger who needed a place to go. They get to join the family for an evening of laughter, games, and way too much good food.

The reason I’ve always admired this attitude in my family is because, through it, I see God. There is a beautiful theme of adoption that runs through the whole New Testament and offers us Gentiles an amazing source of hope, but I’ve got to see that theme acted out firsthand. 

As a result, being willing to adopt new people into the family is a lesson I’ve internalized in a much deeper way than I think I would have otherwise. Through my relationship with my family God not only taught me how important it is to be open to adopting others into the family, but He also helped me understand Who He is a little more deeply because He is the God Who has adopted me into His family. 

I memorized Genesis 1:26-27 when I was in Bible drills as a kid. Now as an adult, this is one of my favorite verses. The statements are so simple, but I believe no one on this side of eternity will ever be able to fully grasp the significance and ramifications that accompanied them when they were spoken. 

Over the years, I’ve made it a habit to look for what some of the results of such a divine statement might be. One that I’ve realized recently as I was reflecting on this week’s topic is this—all the people we form relationships were made in the image of God, which means, if we’re careful to look, there is the potential for us to get a glimpse of Who God is through our relationships, especially the ones we foster with our fellow believers. 

I think of the moments when a little child does or says something unexpected which challenges the faith of the adults in the room. I think of the times when we find ourselves in need of a friend and the friend God sends our way displays the exact gift or fruit of the spirit we need at that moment. I think about all that we can learn by listening to the perspectives of our fellow believers.

If each one of these instances added just one facet to our understanding of Who God is and how much He loves us, the depth of our relationship with Him would increase exponentially… assuming we’re alert and looking for these opportunities to learn about Him.

If you feel like you’re in a little bit of a rut in your walk with Christ, this might be a good time to start really looking at how God is revealing Himself through the people He’s put in your life. My family has shown me a glimpse of the eagerness and joy with which God welcomes newcomers into His family, among other things. As we go through this week, I’d love to hear what God shows you about Himself through the people He’s put in our paths. I believe He’s got some good stuff in store for us!