Reflecting The Image

"But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like him as we are changed into His glorious image." 2nd Corinthians 3:16-18

There is a song that I love called "I Want To Be Like You" by Phillips, Craig, and Dean. It is about a father expressing his desire to be who he knew he should be, not only for his Lord but also for his children. You probably remember it because you found yourself singing along with it like I do: "Lord, I want to be just like you, because he wants to be just like me."

While I am striving to be a good role model for my kids and for others around me, I know that I should always look to my Heavenly Father for the best examples. As the apostle Paul says, the result of your desire to be more like our Heavenly Father is that He will make us more like Him. 

When I become more like Him, that image gives my kids and the others in my realm of influence an image of the Heavenly Father, who He is and who He desires for us to be. Sadly, a huge number of kids today will grow up without parents who have no idea of what it means to reflect God's image. If they grow up with parents that are absent and inactive in their lives they will often have a warped view of God and the presence of Him in their life. Also parents who are harsh or critical can make them think that God is constantly judging them and their lives. 

I wish that I could say that I always live my life the way the song says, living like God because they want to live like me. The important thing I can tell you is that we need to remember that who we are reflects to our kids not only our image as a parent but also potentially the image they have of God. 

We are the first glimpse in our childrens lives of who God is, let's make it a good one. Who's image do you reflect? The world's, damaged and broken or God's?