Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1294 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Bearers of God’s Image – Meditation Monday

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge.  Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy.  Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1294 of our Trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday.  Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy.  For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection.  You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life, meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and in prayer.  It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and making sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body.  As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you, too, will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind. 

In our meditation today, let us consider:

Bearers of God’s Image

Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

It is so easy to allow the world to slip by as I attend to what I deem my very important tasks. Every day we pass by those who are less fortunate and down-trodden. We forget how simple it is to stop and look a person in the eye and recognize them as significant because they are also bearers of God’s image.  It costs me so little to do so. What right do I have to devalue someone whom the Creator has deemed as valuable?

Mother Teresa saw Jesus in the poorest of the poor. When she picked up a person on the street, she was picking up Jesus. When she fed a person, she was feeding Jesus. When she bound the wounds of a leper, she was tending to Jesus. When they opened a Sisters of Charity House in the states for the first time, she said that the poverty of the wealthy nations was different from that of the third world countries. She said the greatest poverty in those nations is loneliness.

People are forgotten and dismissed. They are invisible. Jesus, however, seemed to see this type of person more than most. He served people at every level of socioeconomic status, yet he spent most of his time with the marginalized. His interactions had a common pattern. He looked at the person, touched them, and spoke to them. He recognized the value each person has before God.

We may not all have the opportunity to befriend the marginalized in the manner of Mother Teresa. However, we must come to terms with our compassion for others being part of the work of God in this hurting world.In what way can we join in?

Giving financially is one way, of course. There are many organizations that need our help as they work on the front lines with people in need.

Another way is to open our eyes to those who are “invisible” in our context. There are so many! This personal contact is a way that we can join this work of God in a more direct manner.  We can find a myriad of other ways to connect to the invisible, left out, and forgotten.

Ask yourself, do I know the name of the person from whom where I shop for my daily needs.  Have I asked about them and their family?  When I am waiting for the check after meal out, is there an opportunity to bless the frazzled waitstaff?

How well do I know my fellow work associates, or even those who I worship with?  Can I thank the person I see week after week caring for the grounds at my work or home? They are so often ignored and unseen.

When I am able to see these people through the eyes of my heart, I see them in a different way. I recognize that God has brought them into my path for a reason, to have the opportunity to be God’s touch of love to them.This way of seeing the invisible is something my parents modeled, especially my mom. She seemed to seek out those who were struggling, and although we were poor, she made a point of helping them in some manner.  It was later that I recognized the gift she was giving me the opportunity to learn to recognize the value of each person.

Herein is the true blessing: When we get to see that each of us, and all of us, are children of the King of glory. We are bearers of God’s image. It is not that we reach down to the lowly and bestow them with the magnificent gift of our acknowledgment. No! It’s that our eyes are opened to the immense family of which we are each a valuable part. We encounter Christ, whether checkout person at Walmart, or the janitor at the office or school.  When they encounter us, do they encounter Christ in us? The opportunity to “see” another in all her or his brokenness and beauty, alongside our own.  The image of God showing through us.

Meditate on how Jesus treated those who were society outcast in Mark 1:40-41 A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”

That is a wrap for today’s meditation, next week, we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy.  On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote.  This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day.  Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’  If you would like to listen to any of the past 1293 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player, so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow!