To scratch the surface of dignity

Dignity is one of those words I did not learn from a dictionary definition.  Like many words in the English language, I discovered its meaning contextually at some point in my youth.  Recently, I played around with the word and its meaning in that little section of brain that is dedicated to writing.  Despite the volley of thoughts about dignity, I was not able to make the concept take root. 

I, therefore, went back to the basics and looked it up in a dictionary.  But I’m not going to regurgitate it for you here -- mostly because I’m still a little fearful of my tenth grade English teacher who made it clear that opening with a dictionary definition should be a crime worthy of a ten-year imprisonment.  {I’m slightly worried said teacher will somehow stumble upon this blog and mark it all up in . . . green: his grading color of choice.}

Anyway, here is my understanding of dignity:

 Innately deserving of appropriate respect.

I am deserving of respect because I exist. Because I am a human: made in the image of God!

You are deserving of respect because you exist! Because you are a human made in the image of God!

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” – Genesis 1:27

Individual human dignity is immeasurably valuable. 

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” – Psalm 139:13-14

I’m going to attempt to unpack what I mean by “appropriate” in the next post. Which will be in just a few hours because this post is unfortunately tardy!

Click here to see what this is all about!