God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him. ~ Genesis 1:27
I was standing in the bathroom one morning with my wife, both of us looking at our reflections in the mirror, laughing at how we can’t seem to stop getting and looking older.
Despite the fact that the red hair once found in my beard is now mostly white, and my wife’s hair shows wisps of gray (I love it), what we really were saying was, “How did we become who we are? When did the ‘we’ that we see arrive and where did it come from?”
I wonder sometimes what I’ll look like in 10 years, even 20 years, and I look back at the pictures of me as a boy and am surprised that somehow that gawky, spindly legged kid is me.
Right now, I’m learning how to navigate my 40s, and my wife, well, you can ask her yourself how old she is, but my point is that she, too, is getting older. And that means so are our children.
Six of them are boys (leaving three beautiful girls), and I’m amazed at how each one of them is growing taller or stockier or leaner or manlier. It’s always subtle until suddenly it’s there. One son seems to have curlier hair than he did last year. One is like a lead weight when you pick him up (how did that happen?). Another is a bit broader in the shoulders (like his grandpa, not his dad!), and another, well, he’s getting hair in places he didn’t before, meaning he needs a shower every day rather than every other day!!! You know what I mean.
They, too, will continue to change, to grow, to mature, to become men, and there’s no stopping that. Nor would I want to do so. I remember meeting each of them for the first time (some at birth, some through adoption), and thinking “life is going to change” and wondering, “who will you be someday?”
Life has changed (for the better) and I’m still asking that second question, knowing that each day I get a bit more of a glimpse into the answer. Let there be no mistake about it, there is no mistake about any of my children. They were meant to be here, for God creates nothing without purpose. Paul tells us that in Ephesians 2:10. And so, I cannot wait to see who they will become, what they will do in this life.
But there is one thing that will never change, regardless of how old we become, how gray or wrinkly we get. We will forever be created in God’s image. And that’s a powerful thing. For if we were created in God’s image, then we have the ability to reflect God’s love and to always be a window to others who don’t realize that or who still don’t know Him.
Like a mirror, looking at Christ will only show us our imperfections, but to understand who we are and how we are to live our lives, we must continually turn back and face our Creator. We also must be sure our boys understand this. We have to impart this wisdom and truth to our boys from the beginning. They need to strive to be like Christ, who gave us everything through His death and resurrection — a perfect sacrifice for our many sins and failings.
Is this hard? Yes, it’s a struggle each day to live the life that Christ intended for us. Too much in this world is lost and a temptation to be anything other than Christ-like. We must constantly swim upstream with our boys and hold them to a higher standard — one that teaches them how to live above reproach. And yes, there will be days when we must even fight against the impulses of weak Christians so that we keep our families strong.
There is no other way. There is no wider, easier path to follow. Being a man of Christ and in Christ is difficult. It’s a daily challenge. But it’s also who we were meant to be.
James says that a man who listens to God and doesn’t do what He says is like a man who looks in the mirror and immediately forgets who he is. This should be virtually impossible. “But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25).
I know that for my boys, I want the world, but only the world that God intended for them. Sadly, that is harder to come by each day. Still, we must stick with it. If we are here for no other reason than to reflect God’s goodness, His love, His forgiveness and more, then no matter what else happens in this world, our lives have been well worth it.
Today’s piece was taken from Christopher’s book “Raising Sons.” It is a companion piece to his other book “Raising Daughters.” While written to dads, these books make a great family read, complete with Bible readings, study questions and prayerful reflection. From now until Father’s Day, both are available at a discount price by clicking here.
