Puyallup ELC Blog

“Wow, you really look like your dad.”

If you’re like me, you might’ve heard something like that a time or two. While I can’t say I’m necessarily ecstatic about sharing my dad’s facial features, I do hope to emulate his work ethic and deep appreciation for the beauty of God’s creation. Those are qualities that have been formed over time, through daily habits and cultivated values.

This February, Cascade Christian will walk through Ephesians 5, where Paul calls believers to Walk in Love and Light. At its heart, this passage is an invitation to emulate Jesus—not merely to admire Him, but to shape our lives after His.

Jesus walked in love, even when it cost Him His very life. Jesus walked in the light, even when it meant being rejected by those who preferred the darkness.

Christianity is not about striving harder to be “good people.” Scripture calls us into something deeper and far more beautiful: to walk so closely with Christ that His love and light transform us. That our words, attitudes, and priorities would all be marked by, and be reflections of, Him.

And the wonderful hope in this is that the world might one day look at our lives and say, “You look a lot like your heavenly Father.”

Here are some sweet moments of our Cascade Christian students displaying the love and light of Jesus. 

During Cougar Family Groups, a fifth grade student proactively stepped in to help a kindergartner find and read the Scripture. 

Precious prayers continue to mark our classrooms and hallways at Cascade Christian! 

It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts. —Isaiah 45:12 (NIV)

What does it mean to be made in God’s image? God made each of us different for a reason. Each and every one of us is a custom designed masterpiece who brings a unique contribution to His plan. It is important we remember these differences as we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, honoring the work he did during the Civil Rights Movement to bring equal rights to African Americans.

We were designed to be a unique reflection of God’s image. Like a prism that refracts distinct colors, we are all different in our own beautiful ways and made to glorify God.

In such an imperfect world, we are called to be beacons of light, using our unique talents and gifts to give glory to God and honor His name throughout the nations of the earth. Revelation 7:9–10 (ESV) says, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”

In this school year’s theme, Called for a Purpose, we should remember that as brothers and sisters in Christ, God calls us to be united in our differences and not define ourselves based on how we look or where we are from. In Dr. King’s famous speech, he remarks, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

God was very intentional when He made us, because together we create a beautiful, diverse symphony woven together as an expression of His handiwork. We are truly representatives of God’s beautiful creation.