Week 3 – Lent Series 2025
Lent, Stories | March 20, 2025 | Author: Stevie Wills
The image of God; an invitation into solidarity
Olubunmi remains isolated in her home. Outside, stigma awaits her. For 27 years she has kept her condition hidden…kept herself hidden, letting only her husband and children know.
In Nigeria, Olubunmi once earned an income cooking for weddings, birthday celebrations and parties. When she gave birth to her child, she sustained an obstetric fistula. For 27 years she has been incontinent. She leaks urine uncontrollably.
As we journey through Lent, we are reflecting on the theme of solidarity. Solidarity is empathy; a shared concern for one another. It is adopting responsibility for the welfare of others. We are leaning into the invitation of solidarity…with all people…with all creation. As is our focus, CBM Australia leans into solidarity with people with disabilities who live in poverty.
Every human being is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27). In his book Dignity and Destiny; Humanity in the Image of God, John Kilner describes the image of God as expressed in the totality of a person. That the image of God is not demonstrated in individual attributes or strengths. It cannot be partly expressed. Every person is equally created in the image of God.
People with disabilities are often seen as different, or less. But when it comes to the image of God, there is no distinction between people with and without disabilities. We share a likeness in humanity. We share a likeness with each other and with our creator.
The image of God invites us to lean into solidarity with all people…all creation. Imagine a world where communities are captured by the dignity, likeness and humanity that they share. Where every person is seen; recognised as created preciously in the image of God. Where, in Nepal, Olubunmi could freely walk her local streets, greeting people as they looked each other in the eye.
CBM Australia leans into solidarity with God’s vision for a world in which no one is left behind. Where people with disabilities enjoy their human rights, and the cycle of disability and poverty ends. CBM seeks the welfare of women like Olubunmi, by enabling access to the surgery they need, ending their pain and transforming their lives forever.
Please pray with us;
Lord God, we thank you that you created each one of us with love and dignity. We long for every person to be treated with love and dignity. May we see people as you see them. Help communities to recognise the image of God in people with disabilities, amen.
Read more
https://www.cbm.org.au/stories/week-3-lent-series-2025
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