Skip to main content

Family Identity

Leaning down to peer at my face the man at the other postal window asked me, “Are you a Simpson?” “Yes,” I answered not recognizing to whom I was speaking. “Oh my,” he continued,”I knew your sister Joy.” After exchanging a few more pleasantries I realized this man indeed did know my family members, I just didn’t know him. He knew I lived in Seattle, Washington over the past three decades. In parting I said.” Well. I guess I’ve been marked as a Simpson.” “Indeed, he continued,” Your father stamped his imprint on all of you.”

Reflecting on this brief encounter I thought how could this man, a stranger to me, in a city of over 1.9 million people identify me as a Simpson by just my features? He did say that I looked just like my sisters. Isn’t this what Christ told His disciples when they asked Him to show them the Father? He replied if you have seen Me, You have seen the Father.

What if I, who names the name of Christ, had the same goal? What if I emulated Christ and followed God’s Word so closely that anytime, any where people would recognize God in me? My prayer is to be a copy of Christ to have the Father’s imprint on me inside and out.


Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived
that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled;
and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Elisha, The Provision is in the Obedience

Sometimes I've felt that I've only had very little to give so why give it at all. This morning the thought came to me "All you you have is all you need to give." This thought came as I was reading the following passage in II Kings 4: 42 A man came from Baal Salishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain. "Give it to the people to eat, "Elisha said. 43 " How can I set this before a hundred men?" his servant asked. But Elisha answered, "Give it to the people to eat," For this is what the Lord says:" They will eat and have some left over" 44Then he set it before them and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord. This man only had twenty loaves to give to the prophet. The principle at work is: All that we have is all that we need to give. When we obey, God gives the increase. There are many examples in the Bible of this principle in action: Like the widow at ...

Dormant Does Not Mean Dead!

Last fall I could feel the chill of winter creeping into the atmosphere. What would happen to my beautiful red velvety  geraniums that brought me so much pleasure during the summer? I hated to say good by to them.  I wondered could they possibly live through the winter and bloom again  if  I brought  them in from the approaching  frost,  I was willing to see if they could. The wooden pot was very heavy so I enlisted some help to bring it into the unheated pool room. All winter long I watched indifferently as they began to shed leaves.  For months they lived without one drink of water from me, their neglectful owner. I began to ask myself why did I  even bother bringing them in if I wasn't going to care for them?  The dying brown leaves still did not move me to water the plant. One tenacious geranium kept  hanging on for dear life. Five months later spring arrived....

Domestic Violence - A Present and Ancient Problem

The Bible records the first horrific act of family violence in the story of Cain killing his brother Abel. God saw the anger that Cain was mistakenly harboring towards Abel.  God talked with Cain. God told Cain that he had an opportunity to correct his mistake. Consumed by jealousy Cain refused to change his attitude. . Cain continued to make Abel the target of his wrath. Cain chose rage over reason. He overpowered and killed his unsuspecting and innocent brother. Everything in creation was affected by Cain’s solitary action. Cain’s violence brought death to Abel, the disapproval of God, grief to the parents and a disillusioned life of hardship to himself. Even the earth found itself an unwilling participant as it was forced to receive Abel’s blood. Family violence has never been a confidential matter between the abuser and the abused. It disrupts life on so many levels and causes physical, mental, emotional and social pain to everyone. The injured party is no longer able t...