Listen

Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.”

Genesis 1:26-27

Think

While this passage expresses a beautiful truth that we are made in God’s image, I wonder if some may find themselves feeling excluded. In 2026, our understanding of gender is more of a spectrum than a binary, and for those who identify as both masculine and feminine or use they/them pronouns, I hope they don’t feel left out by this scripture.

As I reread this passage to prepare for this devotion, I was struck by two things. First, it begins with God saying, “Let us make humankind in our image.” The creation starts with humanity as a whole. All of us. All people. We are all created in God’s image.

The final words in the passage say, “Male AND female God created them.” The word “and” feels important. Not male OR female, but male AND female. To me, this seems to emphasize that we are all part of humankind. It’s an equalizing word. There aren’t two categories of humans, just humans. No matter how you identify on the gender spectrum, you are made in God’s image.

Chad Senuta

Question to Ponder:

How does it feel to know you are created in God’s image?

Pray

God, thank you for creating me in your image. Help me to remember the dignity and love that I bear as one of your children. And help me to share it with my fellow humans. Amen.

Go

Go in safety, for you cannot go where God is not.

Go in love, for God’s love alone endures.

And go in peace, for that is God’s gift to those whose hearts and minds are in Christ Jesus.