Created, Known, and Loved by God

Truth for when the world feels divided.

Over the past few weeks, I think many of us have felt a certain heaviness. The constant stream of information, opinions, and conflict that seems to meet us the moment we open our phones. Headlines often highlight what’s broken. Social platforms magnify disagreement. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, it can become easy to forget something important:

We are not enemies to one another.

We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are image-bearers of God.

Scripture tells us plainly:

“So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them.”

Genesis 1:27

That truth isn’t selective. It isn’t based on agreement, background, personality, or perspective. It applies to every person we encounter whether online, in passing, or face-to-face. Every individual carries inherent dignity, worth, and value to God because they were created by Him.

But when we’re surrounded by negativity or division, that perspective can quickly shift. The more we consume content rooted in outrage or comparison, the easier it becomes to categorize people and to see labels instead of humanity or arguments instead of hearts. And before we realize it, compassion gets replaced by frustration, patience by judgment, and love by distance.

I’ve had moments where I’ve had to step back and check my own heart in this. Not because I had everything wrong, but because I could feel the noise shaping my posture toward others. That’s when I’m reminded that God never asked us to mirror the tone of the world. He called us to reflect His character.

Jesus modeled this constantly. He moved toward people others avoided. He spoke with compassion where society chose condemnation. He recognized value where others saw differences. Even in disagreement, His posture was rooted in love.

And we’re given the same instruction:

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

1 John 4:11

This doesn’t mean ignoring truth or pretending differences don’t exist. It means remembering that love and dignity are not conditional. It means refusing to let external noise harden our hearts toward people God created and cherishes.

Because here’s the reality:

You are made in the image of God.

You are not an accident.

You are not defined by comparison, criticism, or cultural narratives.

You are deeply known and deeply loved by your Creator.

And so is the person sitting across from you.

And the person on the other side of the conversation.

And even the person you struggle to understand.

When we root ourselves in that truth, something shifts.

Division loses power.

Comparison loses meaning.

Hatred loses justification.

Instead of absorbing the tone of the world, we become people who reflect something more, grace, humility, and love.

So if you’ve been feeling weighed down lately — by negativity, conflict, or just the emotional exhaustion that can come from taking it all in — I want to  remind you, today:

You belong to God.

You bear His image.

You are loved beyond measure.

And from that place of security, we can begin to see others differently too. Not as opponents or obstacles, but as fellow image-bearers worthy of compassion.

Sometimes the most faithful response to a divided world isn’t louder arguments, it’s living in a way that reflects who we were created to be.

And that starts by remembering whose image we carry. God’s.