For you were once
darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
--Ephesians 5:8
At the busiest airport in the world, my older daughter and I
stood in line, waiting for our turn to take off our shoes and empty our pockets.
Just as we placed our purses in the bin, we were approached by a very friendly,
enthusiastic worker. “Are you two
sisters taking a trip together? Oh,
won’t you have fun. I just love
traveling with my sister!” Now, as you
can imagine, I was thrilled. I’m twenty-five
years older than my daughter. Her trip,
however, was not getting off to a great start.
We’ve often been confused for sisters. Same hair color, same Rubenesque figure. We even sound alike. But I don’t want her to be a carbon copy of
me. I want her to glow with the light of
her Heavenly Father. I want her to be a
perfect reflection of Him.
Be imitators of God,
therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ
loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.—Ephesians 5:1,2
I heard a famous businessman talk about the wonder of
training young people to follow in his footsteps. His eyes teared and his face glowed as he
described the thousands of people, scattered around the world, who were
carrying on his work, his ideas.
I cringed. I don’t want
my children, my students, my readers to follow my ideas. No way! I’ll lead them astray for sure! When they look at me, I want them to see the
love of Christ in my eyes. I want them
to see His joy alight in my face. I want
my life to point directly to the Savior.
Oh, but does it? When
people look at me, what do they see?
Now, that’s a scary thought. Do
they see pride? Vanity? Sin?
Think about it. What do people around you see in your life?
I know that Jesus is growing me in all sorts of
directions. Some of it’s painful, some
of it’s wonderful, but all of it is in His plan for me. I’m just a lumpy piece of clay that He’s
kneading and rolling and pounding into a pot designed to be used for His glory. Not mine.
No, you don’t ever want to imitate me, or any other human
for that matter. Set your sights
heavenward. Be the light of the
world. Be an imitator of God.
Father, forgive me for
holding on to my pride, my will. Help me
to open myself to Your teachings. Allow
me to be shaped in Your image so that people will look at me and see only You.
