Just Like Daddy

Although my sister and I were very much “little girls” who played with dolls and pretended to cook, we also adored our Daddy and wanted to be like him. It made no difference to Dad that we were girls. On special occasions, he took us to work. We were taught to shift gears on his logging truck, call out miles on the two-way radio, and were paid to sort nuts and bolts in his shop. Dad never let the fact that we were girls get in the way of having a good time.

Although during most of my growing up years Dad grew a beard, when we were young he shaved. My sister and I would squeeze into our tiny bathroom and watch him lather his face with his shaving brush. We would look up at him with big eyes tempting him to take a swipe at our noses with his lather brush. Once tagged we would giggle, squeal, and run down the hall, then come back for more. Our Daddy was so much fun.

At one time or another Dad acquired a plastic toy shaving kit. We would beg him to put shaving cream on our faces and at times he would oblige. Standing beside him at the sink we scraped the shaving cream off with the little toy razor. No, we didn’t want to grow beards we just wanted to be like our Daddy. Ephesians 5:1 says “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.”

This morning the lights came on! Paul isn’t saying to go out with a long face and try to force yourself to be like God. On the contrary, he says BECAUSE YOU ARE HIS DEAR CHILD imitate Him in everything you do. It’s simply a loving reminder that we are God’s dear children. So what do little children do when they love and adore a parent? They imitate!! My sister and I did not imitate our Dad so we could be his children, we imitated him BECAUSE WE WERE his children. Once we understand our position there is nothing more we would rather be than to be like our Father. For “..the Father Himself loves you dearly… John 16:27