Life Father Like Son

Above are a few pictures of me and my oldest son. He is 11 years old. Last Saturday night when we were getting our clothes ready for church. He was happy cause he got to wear some new clothes. I was in my closet picking out my clothes and he peeks around the corner and asks, “Daddy, do you have a white button down shirt you can wear tomorrow?“ I told him I was going to wear what I already had out ,which was a blue and white button down shirt. Eight minutes later Justus comes around the corner with a wrinkled blue and white shirt and said look what I am wearing daddy.

I started watching him closely and he takes pride in dressing like me. He tells all of his friends that he has mannerisms like me. I over hear him talking with his brothers and sisters and he sounds like me.

Being a Father is soooooo humbling. To see the tremendous impact and mark you leave upon a child is completely mind boggling. My responsibility as a Father comes with such weight that it is sobering thinking about it. A young soul that desires to be like me. He is watching my every move. He is subliminally storing notes more aggressive than a court reporter. He recalls things that I did when he was only 2 or 3 years old.

In writing all this you would think it would be flattering but on the contrary it is a grave reality check. Am I walking plainly and clearly enough that my son can not just see me BUT see through me right to the heart of the Father? Paul the apostle says:

1Cor. 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

My goal is not to clone little Jonathan’s but to display a reflection of the Father that my children can clearly see and be conformed to HIS image. If I only have children that want to dress like me, pick up my hobbies, or listen to the music I like I have failed as a Father. The only way to get my children beyond me is to live a life of persistent pursuit of God. I must look at my FATHER and behold HIS glory and gaze into HIS face and desire to be like HIM. I must saturate myself with HIS ways and and HIS word. I must Imitate and copy things HE has done. I can lead my children beyond me if I take the same faith that was passed on to me and pass it on to them.

I am doing my children and injustice unless I am following Christ with such clarity that it is fervent, genuine, contagious, and transferable. What am I a saying in a nutshell….IN ORDER TO BE A FAITHFUL FATHER I MUST BE A FAITHFUL SON.