Our Divine DNA

Recently a friend, Teka Childress, was interviewed by St. Louis Magazine after being named a 2018 Woman of Achievement for community betterment. She recalled a story from her childhood: “A man came to our door in St. Louis Hills, and my grandmother told me, ‘We have to give him food; he could be Christ.’ I thought, ‘Christ pops into people’s bodies!’” 

Although Christ popping into people’s bodies is a cool image, I suspect that because we are made in God’s image, when we are born, Christ’s DNA is already a part of us. As Richard Rohr notes, “You are created in the image of God from the very beginning (Genesis 1:26-27). This is the basis for God’s justice: Since everyone is made in the image of God, then we need to recognize, honor, and respect the image of God in everyone. No exceptions.”

It is difficult to recognize the image of God in people whose brokenness or obsession with power, wealth, and prestige leads them to perform selfish and cruel acts. Nonetheless, we can acknowledge that they were made by God and are loved by God. Even as we work to contain the suffering they cause and condemn their actions, we cannot write them off as irredeemable, because that would place limits on God’s mercy, love, and transforming power.

Treating others with dignity, honor, and respect because they carry the seeds of Christ in them makes it more likely that those seeds will take root and grow. We know this from our own lives; we respond to kindness and to persons who see something in us that we can’t yet see ourselves. It’s not a matter of waiting for Christ to pop into someone’s body—it’s recognizing that Christ is already there, and acting accordingly.