| Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the imago Dei. This is the basic biblical idea that God created humans – all of us – “in His own image” (Genesis 1:27). There are different ideas as to what this means for us, but my belief is that it means He created us to act as His ambassadors to the rest of His creation. When we (even those who do not claim Him) do something that reflects His character to those around us, or even when we care for the earth He created, we are demonstrating our purpose. When you “love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18; Mat. 22:36-40), or you “rejoice with those who rejoice [and] weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15), you are living out your created purpose. When you “care for orphans and widows in their distress” (Ja. 1:27), or you “comfort those who are in any affliction” (2 Cor. 1:4), you are reflecting the image of your Creator. In this time, when we would expect to feel abandoned by our God, He has shown us His compassion and love through you – His image.
We cannot adequately express what it has meant to us to truly experience what Christ meant for His Church to be in these last few months. You who love Him and those who loved my dad have shown us the love of the “Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). You have shown us what it means to be part of His family and to be supported by our brothers and sisters in Him. From the bottom of our hearts, we are so, so grateful for your words of encouragement and your gifts. We’re thankful for your beautiful, public tributes to the man we loved so dearly. We’re thankful for your willingness to cook for us, provide us with better financial stability, and even just for your physical presence with us when we needed it most. The Lord has used you, His image, in ways you yourselves will never even fully comprehend. Because of His blessings through all of you, we have no doubt He lives, and “because He lives, [we] can face tomorrow.” May He bless you all as richly and even more. | 
