Gracious God, sometimes I am so caught

Gracious God, sometimes I am so caught up in my failures, in all the ways I am not like you, that I neglect the deeper truth, the earlier truth of Genesis 1. You have made me, as a human being, in your image and likeness. I am like you in a profound and abiding way. Amazing!

Lord, as I consider this truth, help me not to get puffed up, or to think of myself more highly than I ought, or to start acting as if I am a god. Yet, may I take seriously my likeness to you. May this truth shape my sense of identity and my purpose. May it help me to live faithfully in response to your intentions for my life. Amen.