Have you ever had a dream for your life?
It might’ve been a big dream, like getting a good job or a comfortable home, or maybe it was something smaller in scale, like seeing your favourite artist in concert or eating at a special restaurant?
Perhaps you’ve already realised these dreams, or you might still be working on some of them. Or maybe you now have dreams for other people close to you – your friends, your partner, your children or grandchildren?
Questions like these were occupying my mind a little while ago as I was making my way through Genesis, and came to the passage that reads:
“God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them…” (Genesis 1:27)
Lately this verse has captured my attention again.
So too has the question that follows – what does it mean to be made in God’s image?
I’ve long believed there are important implications of us being made in the image of a creator and relational God.
But as I’ve been reflecting on this question more recently, the words ‘capacity’ and ‘possibility’ have been particularly resonating with me.
When God created us in his image, he created us with inherent capacity inside us, and almost infinite possibilities in front of us.
Our capacity to dream about a possible future for our lives, and our capacity to work towards seeing that dream realised, are incredibly powerful in our minds and hearts.
This is easy to see here in Australia. As you look around, the opportunities we have to educate ourselves, earn an income, move freely, find housing and belong in a community are almost endless. And these activities are often the basis of our dreams being realised.
But this isn’t as true for the nearly 15,000 people who WorldShare serves, through our partners, around the world each year.
We know that, like us, every one of these people are created in God’s image, filled with capacity and dreams for their lives and their loved ones. But the challenges and hardships of poverty stand in the way, as barriers to them realising these dreams.
It’s almost impossible to realise your dreams when you’re sick all the time from dirty drinking water, or when you can’t afford to go to school, or when illness and poor care has stolen your ability to hear and communicate.
Part of WorldShare’s mission is to equip and empower people in these vulnerable communities; to help remove some of these barriers so they can realise their capacity and possibilities, so they can break the cycle of poverty and flourish.
And we do this because Jesus did so first. We read in John 10 that Jesus came so that we may have life – life to the full.
And throughout the gospels we see him releasing the potential in people – from healing people and giving them a new vision for their life in John 5 (Healing by the pool), to challenging dogmatic beliefs in Mark 2 (Jesus forgives and heals a paralysed man), right through to completely inverting the values of the day in Matthew 5 (the sermon on the mount).
Jesus knew intimately what it meant that each of us was created in God’s image, and he was committed to helping people see this truth for themselves.
And today this is the work of our ministry partners overseas, work that reflects Jesus’ love and bears the image of God – work that you are taking part in, and making possible, through your prayers and support.
So, as you make your way through this edition of Hope Magazine*; as you read the stories of Allen, Sophea, Disha, Mary** and Leo, and you witness the impact that clean water, access to education, crisis support, specialist health care and sharing the gospel is having on their lives and thousands of people like them, I hope you find encouragement in knowing that your support is helping them to realise their God-given capacities and possibilities for their lives.
– Glyn
*This is an excerpt from our latest edition of Hope Magazine. Which is filled with powerful stories of people realising their potential – their capacity and possibility – in the face of incredible challenges, thanks to your support.
You can read the rest of the magazine online here, or get in touch to request one be sent to you in the mail.
**Some names have been changed to protect those we serve.