The Road to Wholeness

Rev. Tim Travers

Reading

God created humanity in God’s own image,
in the divine image God created them,
male and female God created them.
Genesis 1:27

Reflection

In his book Forgiveness, Adam Hamilton writes, “Forgiveness is powerful. The Bible begins with the story of creation. The ‘image of God’ referred to in the story—imago Dei in Latin—has nothing to do with our physical appearance, and everything to do with other ways in which we were created to reflect the character of God. We were created with the capacity to love, to reason, to create, to show compassion, to give, to sacrifice, and, yes, to forgive.”

It’s strange how unnatural it can feel to forgive someone who has harmed us. Often, our first inclination is to retaliate. Revenge, however, is never the answer. It always makes things worse for us. We end up harming our own souls when we revel in getting back at someone. The route to peace does not include the road of vengeance.

As I write this reflection, I can’t help but think about one of my favorite movies: The Count of Monte Cristo, a 2002 film based on the novel written in 1844 by Alexandre Dumas. For one thing, I’m always interested in a movie that includes a gripping prison-break scene. For another, the story highlights several powerful themes related to the spiritual life.

The main character, Edmond Dantès (played by Jim Caviezel), embarks on an epic journey of suffering brought about by a friend-turned-enemy. The desire to seek justice through retaliation motivates Edmond and drives him to survive. I find myself fascinated by his journey, but also troubled that so much of it is characterized by a yearning to make his enemy pay. Yet as the story unfolds, I see that love—along with a search for meaning and wholeness—is also at work in him. Ultimately, it becomes clear that the path toward the wholeness Edmond desires includes walking the road of forgiveness.

Perhaps the most powerful way we can reflect the image of God is to forgive those who have done us wrong. These last few weeks before Easter are a great time to pray about what might be holding us back from peace in our lives. Is there someone we still need to forgive? How might such forgiveness bring us closer to what God intends for us to become?

Living life in a way that reflects the image of God isn’t just about how God made us—although that’s amazing enough! It’s also about who God intends for us to become. The Lenten season invites us to ask keen questions that cut to the heart of what it means to follow Jesus: Who am I becoming? Am I becoming a person of more peace, love, grace, mercy, and joy? Or am I fixated on things—like how people have wronged me—to the point that I’m growing less in tune with God’s love?

Prayer:
Loving God, grant us your mercy. Forgive us for the times when we’ve not been as forgiving as you’ve called us to be. Enable us to break down the barriers to a life of peace, love, and joy. Most of all, lead us to surrender to you, for we know in our hearts we can’t do it ourselves. Amen.