Imago Dei’s Story
Hey! I’m Shania, and I guess you could call me “the face” behind Imago Dei.
A little bit about me…
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved creating, and as much as I’m embarrassed to admit it, I was a bit of a hoarder when it came to all things crafting. Although I’m super passionate about creating, to many people’s surprise, I also work as a Registered Veterinary Nurse and am extremely passionate about looking after the creation God has so graciously placed in my care.
How did Imago Dei begin?
Growing up, I never fully understood what it meant to use your gifts to glorify God until I experienced the greatest mental health struggle of my life, which I now call my testimony. To be completely honest, at the time, I never knew why God would put someone through something so difficult - but now, looking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way, knowing that it was that very experience that led me back to Him - stronger than ever! That’s when I had an unshakable idea to use my testimony and creativity to share the same unconditional goodness He showed me. His grace and unwavering love is truly the one reason why I am able to write this and create a business that is all in for Him.
While I was dreaming and scheming, I was reading the book of Romans for the very first time, and that’s when Romans 8:28 stood out to me: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose for them.” It is such a blessing that I can now use my testimony to glorify God and create a brand that encourages and uplifts young women who may be experiencing what I did many years ago. No matter what you’re going through, if you remain faithful to Him, He will use All Things For Good.
“My hope and prayer for this brand is to create a community of women who feel confident to share their faith boldly and joyfully. Knowing that they have a purpose and believe that no matter what they’re going through, their identity is in Christ.”
What does Imago Dei mean?
Funny story, actually. Wait, no, I take that back. It’s actually a really cool story, but bear with me (I’m a yapper and it shows).
Like many teen girls, I really struggled with identity, self-image, and learning to appreciate who I was during my highschool years. This led to me becoming my own worst enemy, and I really battled with appreciating my body and who I was created to be. After spending my school day feeling deeply insecure, I would come home, sit with a cup of Milo, and create something. It could be anything, just something that would take my mind off being at school. At the time, I was really into making jewellery, so naturally, I opened my bead box and started digging through my options. That’s when I noticed a small collection of white and black circular letter beads (you all know the ones I’m referring to). Bearing in mind, I have never seen these specific beads in my box before. I looked at the letters: “M, I, G, A, I, E, D, O.” After spending some time trying to figure out what to make with them, I unscrambled them to spell “IMAGO DEI”. Honestly, I just thought it looked cool, but it led me to a Google search to see if it meant anything. Of course, as Google does, it quickly spat out this search result: “Imago Dei (Image of God) refers to the belief that humans are created in the likeness of God, a notion rooted in biblical text.” Knowing that the likelihood of that happening by chance was pretty impossible, I knew in my heart that it had to be God.
I turned the beads into a bracelet, and I wore it everywhere. Eventually, I was prompted to give it to a friend - turns out, she was going through a similar thing. I have no clue where that bracelet is now, but I know for certain that the message will always live on. No matter how you feel about yourself, know that the creator of the universe created you so intentionally, as a reflection of Him!
