This post is part of the 10-part series: “The Grace to Make Changes.” Read the full series here.

When distortion replaces divine design

I still remember this version of me—2015.

Fresh out of undergrad with a degree in Human Resource Management, but feeling anything but grounded. I was getting ready to move to North Carolina to live with Desmond. From the outside, it looked like I was stepping into adulthood, starting a new chapter, maybe even building the life I had prayed for. But on the inside, I was crumbling.

I didn’t know who I was or what I was doing with my life.
I was emotionally unstable, overwhelmed, and honestly—unrecognizable to myself.
I took a lot of it out on Desmond unfairly, and he was struggling too. After being apart from me and Amy for all of her early childhood, he was having a hard time adjusting to having two new people in his space.

We were trying to become a family—but we were each carrying invisible wounds.
Some days were heavy. Other days, we still smiled. But no matter the pose, I can see it in my eyes: I was searching. Searching for peace. For identity. For a reflection I could recognize.

Because even when I smiled, I wasn’t sure who was looking back at me.

Genesis 6: A mirror we can’t ignore

We were made in God’s image. That’s how the story starts. Genesis 1:27 says we were created with His likeness—His breath, His intention, His imprint. But just five chapters later, by Genesis 6, that image was barely visible. The world had multiplied, but so had violence. Corruption. Compromise. And God looked at humanity and grieved.

“God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.”
— Genesis 6:12 (NIV)

What once looked like Him now looked like chaos. They were still made in God’s image, but they had stopped reflecting Him. That’s what I felt in 2015—spiritually distorted, reacting instead of reflecting, surviving instead of surrendering. And I wonder if you’ve ever felt that too.

• Chasing validation more than pursuing God
• Shaping identity around culture instead of Christ
• Hiding or hardening just to get through another day

That’s what I mean by muted mirrors. We’re still made in His image—but the reflection grows quieter, dimmer, blurred by exhaustion or fear or fitting in.

Noah’s hope in the midst of distortion

But then comes Noah. In the middle of all that distortion, he didn’t let the image of God go silent. He lived differently. He walked with God. He kept reflecting something holy, even when everything around him had gone dark.

And that gives me hope. Because even if the mirror looks unfamiliar right now—even if you feel lost in your reactions, relationships, or rhythms—you’re not too far gone to reflect Him again.

Reflection Prompt

• Where have I lost God’s likeness in my reactions, relationships, or rhythms?
• What do I see in the mirror—not just physically, but spiritually?
• What do I want to reflect?

Prayer

God, restore Your image in me.
Where I’ve been distorted by fear, frustration, or fatigue—clear the fog.
Where I’ve conformed instead of transformed—redirect my heart.
Help me walk with You like Noah did: not perfectly, but closely.
And let what others see in me be a clearer picture of You.
Amen.