Three days ago, my husband and I were overjoyed to learn that we are expecting Baby #5. In our excitement, we began calling family and friends to share the good news. Naturally, we wanted to tell our four children also. The only problem was that we wanted to tell all of them together, and two of them were off at day camp. So we waited until after the camp awards ceremony, when we were all in the van, ready to head home.
“Kids, Daddy and I have some exciting news,” I said.
All four of them looked at us. “What is it?” Ellie asked.
“Today, we found out that God has put another baby in Mommy’s tummy. In a few months, you’re going to have another baby brother or sister.”
Lindsey’s face lit up, and her mouth dropped open in excitement. Jessica looked like she wasn’t sure what to make of the news. Ellie shouted, “Yay!”
“We don’t know yet whether it’s a boy or a girl,” I said, “but we’ll find out in a few months.”
“If it’s a boy,” Kenny asked sweetly and hopefully, “will it be mine?”
I smiled at his question. “Cuz if it’s a girl,” Kenny continued, gesturing at his sisters, “it would kind of be theirs, right?”
Kenny knew that a boy would look like him, so he figured that meant it would be his. He understood what it means to belong to someone because you share his image.
That’s the same way we belong to God. Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, tells us that God decided to create us in His image. In other words, in some ways, we look like Him. True, we don’t look exactly like Him. For one thing, we’re not God. For another thing, sin has marred His image in us. But in some ways, just as a brother would unmistakably resemble Kenny, we resemble our Father.
What exactly it means to bear God’s image is open to debate, but I believe it means primarily that we think, feel, and act like Him. He has allowed us to possess most of His characteristics in some measure (except those attributes related to His deity), and He wants us to show them to the world.
If, at the end of February, I bear a son, anyone who looks at our family will recognize the resemblance between my baby and Kenny, a certain fundamental sameness, more even than that which he would share with his sisters. Likewise, if someone looks at us, they should see the resemblance to God.
And that’s the thing: people will assume they are seeing the resemblance to God. In other words, those who don’t know Him well may very well think that since we and Christ bear the same name, Christ must be like we are. If we’re unloving, many people won’t believe that we’re the ones acting contrary to the family characteristics; they’ll assume that God is unloving too. Fortunately, the reverse is also true: if people see that we truly love them, they’ll be much more likely to believe that God does, too.
Think about that this week. When people see how you and I act, what will they believe God is like? Will the family resemblance they see make them want to know Him?
I pray that the answer is yes, in your life and in mine.
John 13:35—“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”