Learning to Lovewell: W1 - THU
Very Good
Genesis 1:31 (NLT) "Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!"
After creating humans, God doesn't just say it's "good" like He did with everything else. He says it's "very good." The Hebrew here suggests something that is exceedingly, abundantly, supremely good. Humanity is the crescendo of creation.
This isn't about human superiority, it's about human significance. Among all of creation, humans alone bear God's image. Among all of creation, humans alone receive both blessing and responsibility. Among all of creation, humans alone are called into conscious partnership with their Creator.
But here's what we often miss: God says this about humanity before the fall. Before sin. Before failure and disappointment and all the messiness that would follow. God looks at humans in their original design and declares them "very good."
This original declaration still echoes over every person you meet. Yes, sin has marred the image. Yes, people make terrible choices and hurt each other and fall far short of what they were created to be. But underneath all of that, the original "very good" still resonates.
Learning to Lovewell means learning to see past the brokenness to the original design. It means looking at people not just as they are, but as they were created to be. It means seeing the "very good" that God still sees, even when it's buried under layers of hurt, sin, and dysfunction.
This doesn't mean we ignore reality or make excuses for destructive behavior. It means we approach people with hope rather than cynicism. It means we believe in redemption rather than writing people off. It means we see potential where others see problems.
Jesus was masterful at this. When He looked at Peter, He didn't just see an impulsive fisherman who would deny Him three times. He saw the rock upon which the church would be built. When He looked at the woman at the well, He didn't just see her checkered past. He saw an evangelist who would reach her entire town.
Genesis 1:31 (NLT) "Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!"
After creating humans, God doesn't just say it's "good" like He did with everything else. He says it's "very good." The Hebrew here suggests something that is exceedingly, abundantly, supremely good. Humanity is the crescendo of creation.
This isn't about human superiority, it's about human significance. Among all of creation, humans alone bear God's image. Among all of creation, humans alone receive both blessing and responsibility. Among all of creation, humans alone are called into conscious partnership with their Creator.
But here's what we often miss: God says this about humanity before the fall. Before sin. Before failure and disappointment and all the messiness that would follow. God looks at humans in their original design and declares them "very good."
This original declaration still echoes over every person you meet. Yes, sin has marred the image. Yes, people make terrible choices and hurt each other and fall far short of what they were created to be. But underneath all of that, the original "very good" still resonates.
Learning to Lovewell means learning to see past the brokenness to the original design. It means looking at people not just as they are, but as they were created to be. It means seeing the "very good" that God still sees, even when it's buried under layers of hurt, sin, and dysfunction.
This doesn't mean we ignore reality or make excuses for destructive behavior. It means we approach people with hope rather than cynicism. It means we believe in redemption rather than writing people off. It means we see potential where others see problems.
Jesus was masterful at this. When He looked at Peter, He didn't just see an impulsive fisherman who would deny Him three times. He saw the rock upon which the church would be built. When He looked at the woman at the well, He didn't just see her checkered past. He saw an evangelist who would reach her entire town.
- Who in your life do you need to see through God's "very good" lens rather than focusing on their current struggles?
- How might believing in someone's original design change how you interact with them?
- Where do you need to remember that God still sees you as "very good" despite your failures?
No Comments