Father and son
by John Berry
I had a bizarre phone call from my son recently. He called me to say that whilst he was camping with his family at a well-known Christian Bible camp here in the UK, someone came up to him and asked if he was my son. She said she recognised him because he looked just like me! What made this unusual was that my son has a beard and I don’t, he doesn’t wear glasses and I do, and so far as I know the person who recognised him has not seen me for over 50 years! It may be that Facebook has carried my image and she’s seen it, but was that enough for her to recognise he was my son? I’m not sure.
It’s amazing how similarities and differences can occur between relatives. Someone once told me that I looked just like my dad, which I found strange, as I was adopted by my parents at an early age. At other times parents and children can behave in such similar ways that the relationship becomes obvious despite physical dissimilarities.
I wonder how many of us are recognisable as our Heavenly Father’s children. Jesus was bold enough to say plainly that anyone seeing Him would see the Father in Him. Jesus also told His followers that love would mark them out as being disciples of His. The New Testament has several passages urging us to be transformed into Jesus’ likeness. It implies that, as this happens, so folk will also see the Father in us. Christ-likeness should be a reflection of the Father.
It would be awesome if people we meet, however briefly, were able to say to us that they can see the family resemblance between us and our Father who’s in Heaven, saying “You’re just like your Dad”. How sad it seems to happen so rarely.
Do we bear such little resemblance to the One in whose image we were created, even after our rebirth into the name of Jesus? Is it the exception rather than the rule when people recognise the Father and the Son in us? It’s a good thing to stop from time to time and reflect. How much of our Father shows in the way we are? Holy Spirit, reveal anything that needs to change in us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to make Yourself known to me. Please continue to transform me into Your likeness, so that people will see You in me, as I live in You. Amen.
John Berry entered the Baptist Ministry more than 40 years ago, and joined the Team at Ellel Glyndley Manor in 2007 with his wife Jennie. They have both now retired from the team but remain as part of the Teaching and Associate Ministry Teams at Glyndley. John and Jennie have seven Grandchildren.
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