While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to

"While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation." — These words from the wise and soulful Maya Angelou carry the echo of ancient truth, the kind that transcends time and culture. They remind us that to know ourselves as divine is only half of wisdom; the other half is to recognize that the same divinity lives in all things. It is not enough to say, “I am made in the image of God,” if we do not also honor that image in others — in every man, woman, child, and creature under heaven. The one who truly understands their divine nature must also see the divine reflection shining in the faces of all creation.

In the days of old, the sages taught that God’s breath moved through all things. The Hebrew prophets proclaimed that humankind was formed from the dust and animated by the breath of the Almighty; the ancient Greeks spoke of the divine spark that burns within each soul; the mystics of the East saw the same eternal essence flowing through man, beast, and stone alike. Maya Angelou’s words are born from this universal lineage of wisdom — a reminder that to love God is to love His creation, and to dishonor any part of that creation is to wound the divine order itself. The heart that forgets this truth grows arrogant, mistaking its own light for the only light. But the heart that remembers shines with compassion, humility, and peace.

There is a story from the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, a man who walked the earth as a living hymn to creation. He would preach not only to people but to the birds in the sky and the beasts of the field. He saw in them not mere creatures, but brothers and sisters — the handiwork of God’s imagination. Once, when asked why he spoke to animals, he replied, “They, too, are God’s children.” His life embodied the truth Angelou speaks: that reverence for creation is not optional, but obligatory for those who know themselves as divine. To see God in oneself but not in others is to live half-awake; to see Him in all is to live in the fullness of grace.

Maya Angelou, in her lifetime, faced the storms of prejudice, suffering, and injustice, yet she never allowed hatred to take root in her soul. She understood that the same Creator who shaped her in love also shaped those who opposed her. This awareness did not excuse cruelty, but it kept her heart anchored in dignity and compassion. Her recognition that “everyone else and everything else are also God’s creation” empowered her to rise above bitterness, to respond with wisdom instead of wrath. Such strength does not come from weakness, but from spiritual maturity, from knowing that when we harm others, we diminish ourselves — and when we honor others, we glorify God.

The meaning of Angelou’s words is a call to unity and reverence. Every face you meet, every creature that crosses your path, every tree that stretches toward the sun is a sacred manifestation of the Creator’s will. The obligation she speaks of is not a burden but a blessing — a responsibility to see the divine everywhere, even in places where it seems hidden. For when we honor all creation, we restore balance to the world; we become instruments of the same love that gave us life. The soul that forgets this truth falls into division, greed, and cruelty; the soul that remembers it becomes an ally of the divine order, a guardian of peace.

This teaching finds resonance in the story of Mahatma Gandhi, who built his life upon the principle of ahimsa — nonviolence born from reverence for all living things. Gandhi believed that to harm another being, even in thought, was to harm oneself. His humility before the divine spark in every human being allowed him to confront oppression without hatred and to lead with a strength that came not from anger, but from love. Like Angelou, he understood that recognizing God within ourselves demands that we recognize Him everywhere — in the hearts of enemies as well as friends, in the poor as well as the powerful, in the human and in the natural world alike.

The lesson is clear and radiant: to know yourself as a creation of God is to accept the sacred duty of honoring that same divine essence in all. Pride separates, but humility unites. Hatred blinds, but reverence opens the eyes of the soul. To live this truth, begin by practicing awareness — pause before you speak, look upon others with kindness, and see not merely their flaws but the light of the Creator within them. Treat the earth with care, for it too bears God’s fingerprints. Offer forgiveness instead of vengeance, understanding instead of judgment. In these simple acts, heaven and earth meet.

For in the end, those who truly remember that all things are God’s creation live not as conquerors of the world, but as its stewards — gentle, strong, and radiant with love. And when such souls walk the earth, even the heavens rejoice, for they have learned the highest truth: that to honor God is to honor all His works, and to love creation is to love the Creator Himself.