Like our fathers (or mothers, or parents)

At Fuller, I've been taking a class called Pastoral Counseling and Family Therapy. We study family systems in counseling and figure out ways to minister and heal broken families. One of the big things that has come up is how like our parents we are. We all know that we have things that we do that are exactly the same things our parents did (whether we like it or not!). Sure we try to escape some of these things ("I'll never be like my mother!") but there are some things which we just can't escape sometimes.

I was driving home on the 5 south from Los Angeles to Orange County. The fires were (and are) raging and the Brea fire is actually only 15 minutes from my parent's place. I get a call from my dad. He urges me to come home quick, grab a tank of gas, clear my trunk, and help watch the fire (I'm not positive what he meant by "watch" the fire). Admittedly, I was a little annoyed. I was thinking, "you don't need my help to watch the fire." And I'm pretty sure, it was just the desire to have me home just in case something needed doing and to have the family closer together. But I realized after I hung up the phone that I do that too. When there's a crisis or problem, I, like my dad, go into "crisis mode". We suddenly get really army sergeant like and bark out orders to rally the troops to solve the problem. We make lists and think of escape routes and probably end up buying a lot of equipment. But we both do that, I don't know how I inherited it from my dad... just being around him growing up and watching him probably sparked that in me. We become like our parents in many ways.

But wouldn't it be great if we could inherit the traits of our heavenly Father? Maybe the principle is rather similar... maybe you need to grow and watch Him work, read stories about Him (the Bible) and it'll start to grow on you. Intimacy and admiration grow with observation and participation. "Working with someone can turn you into a fan." And I find that meditating and praying on those things to inherit from God brings peace.

For who is God? God is one with compassion, God acts on behalf of the poor and oppressed, God is the one who hears people's prayers and cries, God is the one who understands and sympathizes, God is the one who loves and saves, God is the one with patience and forgiveness, God is filled with grace.

I'm sure we're all lacking in some or all of those... I know I am. So maybe we need to spend some time with our Father, watching how He works. I'm not necessairly talking "Quiet Times" or "Devos", but however you spend time with God, let's make it a point to do so. Maybe he'll rub on us... wouldn't it be great to hear, "You're just like your Father"