Family Resemblances

By Kathy Carlton Willis

In walked a woman opening the door for another woman with an oxygen tank. Behind her was a wheelchair filled by a matronly figure using the oxygen, being pushed by yet another woman. They huddled in one of the waiting area sections, and talked about an upcoming wedding. I searched one face, and then another, and another until I circled the group with my gazes. A mother and three daughters. Probably together for unpleasant reasons (the mother’s health), yet they were making the best of it by talking about an upcoming celebration.

Then I allowed my eyes to visit the filled waiting room, picking out family units. Daughters resembling mothers. I detected at least five families with similar facial features. An elderly woman came out of the doctor’s office, her petite frame stooped over. A taller version of the woman followed behind, surely a daughter.

Family resemblances. Once you start hunting for families with matching features, you find them everywhere. When I’m with my mom, I’m told I look a lot like her, and when they see photos of my father, people determine I take after him. I must be a perfect blend of both parents.

My husband used to tease that he thought he was adopted growing up because there were no photos of him when he was a baby. But then he started pitching in the same stadium in which his father played ball years before, and he heard comments from the stands. “Doesn’t he look like Bobby Willis from twenty or so years ago?” “He’s the spitting image.” It was then that Russ faced the fact that he was surely his father’s son.

More important than if I look like my parents is if I resemble my Heavenly Father. Do others see a family resemblance? Can they tell that I’m a daughter of the King? Do my attitudes and actions reflect His virtues? Rather than “fruit of the loom,” are the fruit of the Spirit showing?

 PRAYER: May my life reflect Your image, dear Lord. May others see You in me. I know I’m not a “spitting image” just yet, so I pray You help me as I am conformed to Your image.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them,” Genesis 1:27 KJV.

Today’s devotion is by Kathy Carlton Willis, who thrills in resembling both her earthly and heavenly Father. It is her great joy to shine the light on others, and mostly, on Christ. Get to know her at http://www.kathycarltonwillis.com/.