The Second Gaze - A Different Perspective

Around a week ago, I reflected on those automatic patterns in life where we do things without really even noticing. Scout dragging her paws while walking in the snow was the inspiration. Well, on another snowy walk, I first noticed how I was dragging my feet in the snow and then later saw how someone else was doing the exact same. I have no idea who the other person was but my second gaze on those footprints showed me a different perspective. I was reminded that, no matter who that other person was, we shared more than a few things in common. We both were up and out early, we both traveled that same path, we both had similar shoe sizes, and we both dragged our feet as we walked in the snow. In a time where we are so often focused on differences that can feel so insurmountable, these simple things spoke to me of the common image of God which is at the core of each of us.

So God created humankind in God’s own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27