Warren Wiersbe has noted that “there is a divine conference among the members of the Godhead before man is created, something not seen at any other step of the Creation.”9 Out of this conference came God’s determination to create man in His own image. Being in God’s image doesn’t mean that we are like God in every way. Our likeness consists of bearing His character and nature, even though those attributes have been diminished by the Fall.

We are created to be a special reflection of God’s nature. In everything we do, we reveal a picture of God on a smaller canvas. Our work reflects God’s work. Our love provides a hint of how He loves. He gives us dominion over this earth (Genesis 1:26) as He has dominion over all creation. Like Father, like son (and daughter).

Though we are physical creatures, we have a spiritual nature just as God does. This is why we feel guilt, love, and other complex emotions. Flawed though we are, we retain the image and glory of the Father.

To illustrate this concept, think of a proud new father waiting to hold his child for the first time. When the smiling nurse brings that red-faced, squinty-eyed little bundle over to him, the father smiles all over. His joy overflows, and he can’t help but whisper a prayer of thanksgiving. This is his living, breathing child—bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. This child is the special creation of himself and the person he loves more than any other—his wife. Already the father sees, with a rush of excitement, that the baby will have his eyes, his wife’s lovely chin. This child bears his image!

This ecstatic experience of a new father reflects how God, looking through the window of time, feels about you and me. All of His creation is good—there are no exceptions. You are precious to Him beyond human imagination, and you have possibilities beyond your wildest dreams.

We have testimonies of countless lives in which those possibilities were almost snuffed out before birth. One such person is Tim Tebow. Here is his story, excerpted from the tract “Celebrate Life”:

Perhaps you saw the “Celebrate family, celebrate life!” ad during Super Bowl XLIV, featuring Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam. Weeks before its airing, the ad had already stirred a wide range of intense emotions. Those “opposed” considered it offensive and demeaning. Those “in favor” rejoiced that its message would promote the value of life and family on the world’s largest media stage. What caused such a stir? The simple story of a mother who chose to keep her unborn baby rather than abort him.