For clarity sake I looked it up on Webster's online and this is what I come up with...
Main Entry: in·car·na·tion
Pronunciation: \ˌin-(ˌ)kär-ˈnā-shən\
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 a (1): the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form (2)capitalized : the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ b: a concrete or actual form of a quality or concept; especially : a person showing a trait or typical character to a marked degree
2: the act of incarnating : the state of being incarnate
3: a particular physical form or state : version
— in·car·na·tion·al \-shə-nəl, -shnəl\ adjective
Here the 1st definition incarnation (1a) comes from John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only." This is the Biblical teaching that Jesus "the Word" became a human and lived on earth.
For the rest of this post I want to focus on definition (1b) "a person showing a trait or typical character to a marked degree." This begs the question what incarnations (traits and characters) are you living out right now? For example are you the incarnation of...
hope or despair?
love or hate?
greed or charity?
selfishness or cooperation?
servant or master?
forgiveness or grudge holding
This of course is not an exhaustive list, but a place to start reflecting. When I look at myself I see myself incarnating both the good and bad from that list, how about you? The point here is that we are all incarnational, and we have to be intentional if our incarnations are to have a positive impact on others. Let's all strive towards better incarnational living this week!
