Image of an Image
Smile, pose, store, back up, repeat.
Share, post, stare, begin;
Check likes, check controversy—don’t delete.
Endorphins rise; emotions spin.
An endless scroll of images,
Copies of copies roll.
Insignificant instances,
More than parts of a whole.
Yet worthless in the grander scheme,
Until one day, the image leaves.
Returned home, now she’s redeemed;
Our hearts see, and we just grieve.
Yet in a moment, they are gone.
Photos are all that’s left—
Of an image of God we knew,
A precious, simple gift.
Images of an image stay,
Framed with us on the wall at home.
Once worthless, now priceless. We praise
The Maker for making you known.
Above is a poem that I recently wrote here is a brief explanation of what inspired me.
On my phone, I currently have over 15,000 pictures, collected over the 15 years that I have had a smartphone. When I was a kid, if you wanted a high-quality photo, you had to have a physical camera. But now, anyone can take beautiful photos, edit them, and post them instantly. With this accessibility, photographs have been massively devalued. I remember looking through old photo albums of my parents and grandparents. Though there were fewer photos, they meant more because they were rare and precious.
Recently, however, I received a photo from a good friend—one of their daughter, who was a special person in our lives. She passed away from cancer at just 25 years old.
This photo captures her alongside my entire family at Disney. To my wife and me, this image is worth more than gold. It is a reminder of a life well lived. It is the presence of someone now gone, yet still bringing us joy through her memory. Though it is merely a piece of paper with ink on it, it conveys something much deeper and more meaningful.
In Scripture, we are told that we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Just like that photograph, each person you encounter is an intentional reflection of God's love, beauty, kindness, power, and perfection. While God is always present with us, He has given us a visible reminder of Himself in the people around us. When we look into their eyes, we are given a glimpse of His character—a reflection of the One who created us.
May we not take this for granted. Just as a rare and precious photograph holds deep meaning, so does every person we meet. Let us see them as God’s image-bearers, valuing their presence and the divine imprint they carry.