Well, I've been reading a book called In the Likeness of God on and off since I graduated from high school. David and Jonathan's mom gave it to me for graduation, and it is so good. It's written by a surgeon, who worked with leprosy patients in India for most of his life. In the book, Dr. Paul Brand talks about different parts of the body in both medical and spiritual contexts, telling stories from his work and India, while relating the human body to the body of Christ. I was finishing up a chapter called "Image: Restoration" last night, and I thought Dr. Brand said some really interesting things.
He says, "When we join his [Christ's] body, it is the image of God himself we must find, not our own. We find it not by proving ourselves, but by releasing that desperate dependance on our own self-images in favor of taking on God's glorious image."
and "It is Christ's glory we take on, not our own...for all of us, the reward is the same: a chance to be judged not for what we are but for what Christ is. God looks upon us and sees his beloved Son."
I haven't even really been thinking about this lately, but I thought these words were interesting. Mainly because they sparked a little thought in me that said, "Hey, maybe you should be thinking about this more. About consciously releasing my dependence (even if it's subconscious) on my self-image, in order to take hold of God's glorious image."
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I know I've said this about 4 times already, but I am going to try to life update soon, not just a random fact/thought update.
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