I come from a long line of people who have treasured memories. They were people who held onto who they were and where they’d come from. Ancestors of mine, as far back as the American Civil War, held onto old photographs, diaries, letters, receipts, and business cards! They were farmers and lumberjacks, immigrants and soldiers, dentists and pioneers . . . Whatever their professions, you can look at their pictures and see similarities in a jaw-line, here, or a hair-line, there. It is pretty amazing!
As our baby girl grows older, it becomes more difficult to say which side of the family she resembles most. If you ask MY mother who our little Brooklyn looks the most like, she will definitely say that it’s me. If you ask BRANDON’S mom who Brooklyn most resembles, she will surely say that it’s Brandon! Each looks at their grandchild and sees a glimmer of the baby they once held in their own arms. Babies look like their parents, their grandparents, their great-grandparents . . . They even tend to ACT like them! God did that for a reason – He allowed family to LOOK LIKE family!
Do we resemble our HEAVENLY Father, in the way that we speak and conduct ourselves? I John 2:4-6 “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” Do we walk “even as he walked”?
What did Jesus do, when He was here upon this earth? What kind of an example did He leave behind for us? Jesus gave Himself for OTHERS – He served others, He suffered for others, and He even DIED for others! Luke 14:27 and Mark 10:45 go hand-in-hand: “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” . . . “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Are we giving OUR lives for many? Are we being tools and vessels fit for His use, even in our own families? Jesus declared, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) Do we daily “give our lives” for the sake of our little lambs?
II Corinthians 9:6-7 speaks of having a giving heart. "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." Are you sowing sparingly or bountifully in your garden of motherhood and wifehood, today?? Are you giving to your family cheerfully or just because you "have to"?? As you read, sing, cook, clean, hug, and feed, are you POURING YOUR VERY HEART AND SOUL into the role that God has given you? II Corinthians 9:8 holds a special promise: “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” God can GIVE you sufficient grace to accomplish what you need to in the lives of your family! He ALONE can HELP you to be more like Him as you serve Him day by day! Ephesians 5:1-2 “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us . . .”
Genealogy is truly fascinating. A particular last name can end up on censuses, deeds, wills . . . But is our name written down “where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” (Matthew 6:20)? Are we truly one of GOD’S CHILDREN? And if we ARE, do we BEHAVE like one of God’s children? Whether cleaning our homes or caring for our little ones, God wants us to have a “royal resemblance”! Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
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