I am honored and frustrated all at the same time when I see myself in my child. Bossiness doesn’t look good on a three year old, so I’m betting it doesn’t look great on a 30 year old. Yet, there is something amazing about watching yourself and your spouse unfold from this little person. They open their mouth and you just about die from what comes out. “My back hurts so bad”, “do they have a kid’s margarita here?”, or “oh my gosh”, complete with dramatic eye roll. Your parents always tell you there will be payback and they are so right. I just didn’t realize it would mostly be in stifled laughter.

I wonder if the Lord sometimes observes our words and actions and has to hold back laughter. Things we make a big deal over that really don’t matter…you know, the things we see people go nuts over in the comments section of a Facebook post. If we’re created in His image, you know a sense of humor has to be there. But there are so many other things I know He wishes would unfold. Grace, love, trust, hope, compassion….the list could go on and on. Those bad traits are human nature, but just as we wish to erase them from our own children, I’m sure He wishes to wipe them away from us. To be filled with His spirit, not filled with things of the world. I am thankful for the sacrifice on the cross that God can now look at me and see only His traits, see me for the new creation I am. I can only hope my children will see those traits in my daily life and wish for their life to have the same.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Thanks for letting me share,