Phillips Craig and Dean have a song called “I Want to Be Just Like You”. It’s a song about a little boy who one night tells his dad that he wants to be just like him. The father understands the enormity of his role and starts praying. “Lord I want to be just like You, cause he wants to be just like me. I want to be a holy example for his innocent eyes to see. Help me be a living Bible, Lord, that my little boy can read.”
The words of this song have taken root in my heart ever since my little boy was born, almost two years ago. I am convinced that all dads want their children to become men and women of integrity and character; men and women who love Jesus Christ from the heart. It would seem though that sometimes we forget how crucially important our role is in that process.
As a young Christian I didn’t know how to live the Christian life. Therefore, in those early stages I started imitating the behavior and habits of the significant adult Christians in my life. I am saying this to make us all aware that as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we have the responsibility to live a life that mirrors God’s so that his little children can grow to know Him for who He really is. That being said, how can we be just like our heavenly Father if we don’t know what He is like? We can’t. There is no way we can become like someone we don’t know. But we will always be like the one we love, like the one with whom we spend time.
I am absolutely convinced that no father can be the best father to his children unless he learns from the best and perfect Father, God the Father.
How would you feel if your child came to you in the middle of an angry outburst when you are not acting much like a Christian and said to you, “I want to be just like you are right now”? The heart of any good parent would be crushed. Let’s give our children, as well as others around us, a Christlike example worthy of looking up to.
It is said that each person influences about 250 people in their lifetime. Whether you realize who they are or not, you WILL have an influence on those who are looking on into your life.
