One scene in pop culture that has really stuck with me is the opening scene of the television series Loki. In the very first episode, entitled “Glorious Purpose,” Loki teleports himself out of trouble and into the Gobi Desert. As he gets up, he is approached by a group of Mongolian villagers, and immediately, Loki runs to a nearby rock, poses dramatically and declares, “I am Loki of Asgard. And I am burdened with glorious purpose.” To which, the Mongolian villagers humorously respond in Mongolian, “Who are you? Why have you come to our home?”
The whole series is about Loki finding the glorious purpose he seeks. The same is true of us, seeking this sense of purpose and meaning, but finding it in shallow things. The humour of Loki’s declaration comes from how shallow the claim actually is. Loki simply declares this glorious purpose, lacking any recognition of the fact that these villagers have absolutely no reason to accept his claim.
Another Claim to Glorious Purpose
Now, here I stand, or I guess my writing stands before you. As anyone on the internet clamouring for your attention, I too just assume that I have something you want to hear or read about. I have this claim to “glorious purpose” although it seems a bit melodramatic to call it glorious. Nevertheless, I come here with a purpose. That purpose is to speak about tasting and seeing that God is good.
There are all sorts of Christian content out there with all varieties of purposes and goals. I don’t have a niche topic. I don’t have a particular expertise or skill that is uniquely extraordinary. I don’t have some sort of vaunted education that is noteworthy. I’m a Christian, and my goal here is to share my experiences, and some skills I’ve developed, that can help you be a Christian as well. That’s it. It’s simple, but not easy. Yet, life is complicated, and that’s why the simplicity of faith challenges us with questions.
Made in the Image of God
Glorious purpose is how Loki describes it, and ironically, Loki is a very relatable character, with all sorts of flaws, who is just trying to do the right thing and figure it all out as it goes. It is very similar to us, and at the same time, I don’t believe that this is the way things are supposed to be. You’re not just your flaws, and your glorious purpose is more defined than Loki’s.
Genesis 1:27–28 seems pretty clear that humanity is imbued with glorious purpose. Loki’s claim to glorious purpose is the fact that he’s a “god.” Yet, the first chapters of the Bible are explicitly noting that you are like God. You are like him, the Alpha and the Omega, the Lord and Creator of the Universe. You, dear reader, are like HIM.
Matthew 6:33 has been an integral verse in my life and faith journey. It’s a bold claim that Jesus makes, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things (clothes, food, drink, etc.) will be given to you as well.” Jesus pulls out the logic that God ensures the simple living of flowers, grass, birds, and animals, then appeals to the human, if God cares about these so deeply to care for them, then what does that say about how he will move for you who are his partner in creation (Gen 1:27–28).
Formed in the Trenches
I sit here making a claim that I am pursuing God’s kingdom. I mean to share that I’m confident that what I’m doing here is good and useful. Maybe it’s not for you, I’m not going to be arrogant to suggest that you must listen to me.
This is my step into professional calling or finding my voice. I have something good to offer because this voice has been formed in the trenches of hard questions, and challenging moments. I am honest about the fact that things in life are not solved by patented answers. Hard questions deserve hard labour to answer them appropriately.
Trembling and Bold at the Same Time
In fact, I imagine it’s probably odd for you to read someone claiming so boldly to have humility, while also boldly noting that glorious purpose. Those two things don’t seem to work together, yet I think that’s actually the point of Scripture. Honest and real confrontation with the fact we’re not God combined with the fact that we are literally God’s image. We don’t live in a world that appropriately and humbly values this point. The idea makes me tremble that I’m made in God’s image, and the further I walk this road in trust and loyalty to that fact, the more I become shaped and formed into his image. It’s a virtuous cycle of growth.
Unlike Loki, the burden of glorious purpose will not lead us into seeking shallow recognition for doing nothing. Rather, the burden of glorious purpose, the recognition of whose image we are, should drive us to our knees. It should make us realize that we’re not who we ought to be. If it doesn’t, we have messed up our vision of glorious purpose. We either have a too shallow vision, or we simply do not know the Person whose image we resemble.
Christianity Requires Something From Us
As you might guess, I have a distaste for a Christianity that requires little of us. I am also forced to recognize that people are living very different journeys, and I can embrace their journey with humility and celebrate them. At the same time, it seems like there is more here for us. Many of us aren’t living up to the people we were created to be. I know this because I feel it myself. Faith is not an immediate fix-all that suddenly sets everything right in life.
I’m a recovering video game addict. It would literally swallow up my time and life. I’ve just recently overcome a decades-long struggle with pornography that started when I was 8. This doesn’t even mention the fact that I’m a father and there’s nothing else in the world that will reveal your failures and weaknesses quicker than being a parent. Add to that my looming divorce. It all adds up, and yet, in God’s image I was made, to be fruitful, multiply, and be God’s partner in caring for his good creation.
One Step Closer to Who You Were Made to Be
When we think about Becoming Faithful, we should consider that what we are faithful toward relies entirely on understanding our purpose. That purpose is glorious, not because of us, but because of the one who made us. He made us in his image, in his likeness, to care for his creation. Not only are we created for that purpose, but he also promises to sustain us and care for us in fulfilling that purpose.
Becoming Faithful is really about getting you one step closer to who you were created to be. We’ll look at Scripture and talk about experiences that have spoken life to me and others. But at the end of the day, this glorious purpose is yours to live out in partnership with your God. He’s my God too, no doubt, but for this to be applicable and meaningful to you, he has to be your God.
You must pray and hear from him yourself. If that’s weird, no problem, he knows what you need from him. The point here is that with all my talk of having glorious purpose, it’s mine to live, and a part of that purpose for me, is to introduce you to living your glorious purpose. I hope that this blog and the subsequent posts will be helpful to you and help you to dig deeper into your identity as God’s image.
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