THE ROAD Less Traveled
The best compliment: ‘Just like your dad’
resemble our Father in heaven? It’s not by going By Jason Herring to church every weekend, although church is a Growing up as I kid, I always wanted to be just wonderful way to be encouraged and engage like my dad. From his Florsheim wing-tipped with fellow believers. What is it that causes other shoes to the Consort hairspray that he used, I people to look at a child of God and say: “You wanted to copy him in every way I could. In look and sound so much like your Dad!”? healthy homes, it is natural for young boys to Perhaps your mind is already running to John idolize their fathers, and for fathers to take pride 13:35: “By this shall all men know that you in their sons following in their footsteps. But even are My disciples, that you love one another.” in dysfunctional home environments young men The love of fellow Christ-followers is a sign of tend to imitate their fathers whether they intend authentic discipleship. Jesus reiterates this in John to or not. At the very least we take on certain personality traits and idiosyncrasies that identify 17 when He prays that His followers would be us with our pater familias. unified in the same way that He was unified with How many times over the years have I heard the Father so that “the world may believe that someone say to me: “You sound just like your You have sent Me.” The greatest evidence for the Jason Herring dad!” Or “You remind me so much of your Advent is the unity of believers in Christ. father.” I always took it as a compliment that But this is not the greatest evidence of the claim people saw the reflection of my father in me. There were the to being a child of God. superficial things like mannerisms and cadence and phrasing that Anybody can love someone who serves a common cause and I unconsciously picked up just by growing up with Dad. Then works towards a common goal. It might be challenging at times, there were the matters of common interest. I love history, books, but it is expected for people to be team players and subvert their museums, and historical sites because of my dad. Many of my interests for the shared goals of the team. Putting the team first childhood vacations were spent on Civil War battlefields, and I shows that you are committed to the team, and that you are remember him reading excerpts from books to the family about focused on the vision of the organization. But this doesn’t mean enthralling stories of adventure and gallantry. My love and apthat anyone would mistake you for being the son or daughter of preciation for the past comes from my father. So much of what I the owner or CEO. am today can be directly attributed to the influence of my dad. God doesn’t wear Florsheim shoes and use Consort hairspray. A catalyst happens during the ministry of Jesus when He How in the world can we begin to resemble our Father to the instructs His disciples to pray to God as “Our Father.” This was society around us? powerful in so many ways because it revealed how God related Jesus answers this question in Matthew chapter five in the to His children and how we were to relate to Him, our Lord and Sermon on the Mount. “You have heard that it was said,‘You Creator. God did not call Himself Father as an illustration of shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to earthly fatherhood. He was the archetype. In other words, God is you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to the original. Earthly fathers are a picture of our Heavenly Father. those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you Fathers that abuse, abandon, and neglect their families show and persecute you…” This statement is revolutionary by itself, themselves as everything that our Heavenly Father is not. Fathers but then Jesus follows up with this declaration: “...that you may that love, nurture, and cherish their families reflect everything be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise that our Father in heaven is to us, His children. on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on Unfortunately, it can be easy to get caught up in the trappings the unjust.” and the superficial. If you ask the average Christian to define Forget about how you treat your fellow teammates and siblings what it is that makes them a “Christian,” they are likely to tell for a moment. Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do you that they go to church and try to help others and just be good to those who hate you. Pray for those who despitefully take good person in general. Or maybe they will tell you that they placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to describe their initia- advantage of you and persecute you. And do all of this so that you may be the sons and daughters of your Father in heaven. Betion into the new birth. This would definitely be more accurate cause He does this every single day. He gives rain to the righteous since no one can become a part of family unless it is by birth, adoption, or marriage. How fascinating that our salvation is com- saint and the rebellious sinner. He causes the sun to shine on the cynic and the agnostic as well as the atheist. He gives life and pared to these three things in John 3, Romans 8, and Ephesians health and prosperity even to those who curse and hate Him. 5! Mercy is the chief characteristic of God. Even on Mount Sinai I am forever the son of Dean Herring because I was born into it was the first attribute that was declared to Moses when he was his family at the Old Chandler Telfair Hospital in Savannah, allowed to glimpse the Deity who framed the galaxies. Nowhere Georgia, on September 30, 1976. I am forever the child of God because I was birthed into His family in our little house off High- then do we more reflect and resemble our Heavenly Father than when we bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, way 341 in Jesup, Georgia, on January 21, 1981. I am related to and pray for those who despise and defraud us. Show me somemy father by birth. I resemble my father because I have an interbody who truly loves their enemy, and I will show you a doppelest in the things he has an interest in, I love the things that he ganger for the Divine. Show me someone who is a benefactor to loves, and my personality mimics some of the traits of his own. their adversary, and of them it may be said, “You remind me so We are related to our Heavenly Father by the new birth. Nothing can take that away from a child of God. But how do we best much of your Father!” The resemblance is uncanny. n
10 November / December 2021 | Christian Living
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