Some people think that being made in the image of God deals with the physical likeness as if God has a body of flesh and blood. This is not the case. Jesus tells us that God, in reference to the Father, is spirit (John 4:24) and the spirit does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). Therefore, it cannot be true that we are made in the image of God the Father in the sense that God the Father has a body of flesh and bones. To be made in the image of God means that we are made in His likeness in that we have some of the same attributes that God has. For example, God is rational (Isaiah 1:18) and so are we. God can love (John 3:16) and so can we. God can hate (Ps 5:5; 11:5) and so can we. Because we are made in God’s image, we are able to have compassion, mercy, grace, fellowship, friendship, and so on. However, as God is all-knowing, we are not. God is ever present, but we are not. So, the image of God in us means that we are like Him in some, not all, of His attributes.

As Christians, we share some of Gods substantial characteristics, and are endowed with certain gifts. These have been understood to include many or all of the following: rationality, morality, self-awareness, creativity, productivity, and generosity. In this way we show the image of God in our characters and the ways we are called to be (Kandiah, et al., 2017). Christians know the Bible teaches us “to do unto others,” therefore living Christ-like and doing good to others as God wants. This fulfills the mission of God creating man in his own image. In healthcare, the image of God allows us as Christian nurses to show compassion, empathy, patience, kindness, love, to and for our patients as Christ showed for us on the cross at Calvary.

In all areas of healthcare, patients are the most vulnerable. Many do not understand what is happening to them or around them. Research shows that emphasizing the art of nursing and compassionate care during nursing orientation can improve outcomes. Nurses using compassionate behaviors can help bring about feelings in the patient that both the nurse and patient are working toward the best possible outcome for the patient. Compassion is the essence of nursing. Compassion allows a patient to feel cared for, respected which develops trust that the nurse has his or her best interest in mind. When a patient feels that a nurse truly cares, they begin to allow the nurse in, offering small details that may lead to a diagnosis, or they may give the information that could help better care for them. When the patients are more at ease about their care, they often have a shorter length of stay in the hospital, decreased pain, decreased anxiety and an overall optimistic outlook on their recovery.

Respond to the above write up.  Support your response with peer reviewed articles.