They look just like you...

One of my favorite parts of being the Mom to children I did not give birth to is hearing the phrases, "I see so much of your husband in this one" or "The little one and his big brother really favor." or "Your children favor so much." I usually just smile to strangers, but to acquaintances who we have known for some time, but have not been in recent communication with, I will share our story of Emma and Jordon and how they have come to us. I believe it is true that the longer you live in relationship with someone, you begin to favor them. Nathan is extremely lucky!

As I have thought about the mannerisms Emma and Jordon have picked up from living with us it makes me think they do favor us in many ways. It is true their coloring, eyes and hair do match up to our family's. They have sweet Eastern European faces, very unlike our round American faces, but really the way they talk, the way they move, the way they express themselves with their faces, bodies, hands have come to be very similar to the rest of us.

Being created in the image of God, I wonder just how much I look like God. That has always been a curiosity to me. What exactly does it mean to be in the image of God? How much likeness do I have to Him? I can not control the basis of how I look like God any more than I can control if I favor my mother or my father. But my thoughts this morning have danced on the realization of what makes my family look similar to one another more than the shape of noses and location of eyes is the mannerisms of our actions. We favor because in spending time together in close proximity causes us to share sameness. This reflects to people who are viewing us. This is why I believe people will say, Emma and Jordon really look like (you, Nathan, Macy, Molly, Noah). We favor because we act alike. We act alike because we spend so much time together.

In my journey of discipleship, I fear I am not spending enough time with God to allow myself to pick up on His mannerisms. Could this familial sameness apply to my spirtual family? Is the intimacy of living in family, being in constant contact and proximity a condition in being recognized as a child of God? I believe it could be so. I am an adopted child of God. I want to be recognized as his child. I want to challenge myself to be more intimately involved in relationship with Him. How great would it be to have someone say, "I see so much of your Father in you?"