Grandpa's Big Head

Dear Friends,

This past weekend we had the privilege of traveling to the east coast to visit two of our children and all of our grandchildren. It was a blessing to be with them, and as we usually do, we spent a lot of time talking about who the grandchildren resemble most. Do they have dad's eyes? Or mom's nose? Or their uncle’s big head? Usually the answer we settle on is that the grandchildren are a combination of both sides of the family, and everyone feels satisfied with that conclusion.

But of course the similarities between children and parents doesn’t stop with just the physical. As they get older, children also take on the characteristics of their family - adopting similar mannerisms, words, and attitudes. There is a sameness in families that makes it clear they are family.

As I thought about all of that this past weekend, it got me wondering how much I resemble my Father in Heaven. And I don’t mean physically, because we don't really know what God looks like physically. However, we DO know His nature and character and behavior - which means there are ways that His children can resemble Him. There is a "family culture" that we can reflect in our own lives. So I think it’s good to ask ourselves: “When the world looks at us, would they say we resemble the “Family of the World”, or the “Family of God”?

When I asked myself that question this past weekend, unfortunately the answer I came up with was the same one we usually come up with when talking about our grandchildren: I'm a combination of the two. Parts of me resemble the Family of God, and parts resemble the Family of the World. And while that might be fine for babies, it's not a good thing for children of God. 2 Corinthians 3:18 puts it like this: “All of us who belong to God must live in a way that reflects the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.”

We cannot join the family of God and then try to stay connected to our old family of sin. God calls us to live fully and completely as part of His family - with all of it’s values, purposes, nature and character. He calls us to live in such way that, when the world looks at us, they clearly and consistently see our Father above all else.

So the question for all of us is: Are we doing that? Are we living in a way that reflects Who’s family we belong to? If we can’t answer “yes” for every area of our lives, then let’s ask God to help us truly live as His children - fully reflecting Him in all we think, and say, and do.

Amen?

Daniel