"Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God's children." (1 John 2:29 NLT)
I’ve officially reached a strange stage in parenting. People who meet my daughter and I for the first time often conclude that we are sisters. It happened again a few weeks ago. We got into a conversation with another mother-daughter duo about vintage handbags and after almost fifteen minutes of discussion in the aisle at DSW, they asked if we were sisters. LOL (Look a little closer and you’ll see my laugh-lines!)
The thing is, my daughter does look a lot like me! What’s more; she sounds like me, laughs like me and moves her hands about like me. In fact, a few weeks before that interaction, we were both speaking at a district women’s event and our host introduced us by saying “Apples don’t fall far from trees.” My daughter resembles me in many ways because of the nature of our maternal relationship.
We can actually work our way back in the family orchard. Sarah looks like me. I look like my mom. My mom looked like my grandma. It’s how genetics work. It’s obvious, even to strangers, that we all belong together.
Likewise; God’s children take after their Father. The longer and closer we walk with His Son, Jesus, the more we take on the family characteristics. If we aren’t beginning to look and sound and act like our spiritual bloodline, we need to reassess our relationship and figure out how to move closer. Oftentimes sin is the culprit creating distance. Sin always interferes with intimacy. If we are feeling off; we can self-examine with Holy Spirit help, confess what we find and move closer to heart of the Father.
"So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love others does not belong to God." (1 John 3:10 NLT)
Lord, we are grateful for our adoption into the family of God made possible through Jesus Christ. We long to grow up into the family features. Help us, please. Expose any hinderance within us that we could confess it and move closer to You. We want to carry on the family resemblance. Teach us to live righteously as sons and daughters of the living God. Amen.