When you have a child, people are interested in who in the family it looks like,
who the child resembles.

To be honest, I can’t really tell,
babies look like babies to me.
But often, even complete strangers, will come up to us and tell us who they think our babies look like.

People find it fascinating –
talking about every detail, analysing every feature.

I’m more interested in who they’re like.
It’s a scary thought… but I actually want them to be like me and Mez.
I’m not saying we’re perfect, we’re still works in progress,
but on the whole, we want to raise our kids to think like us, act like us.

I’m not talking about their opinions, personality or interests,
but in their way of looking at the world,
their deepest desires, their attitudes, their framework for living and loving.
We’re following Jesus and we want them to follow Jesus.

FAMILY

I don’t really care who our kids look like.
I care that they know who they are and how they’re connected to others.
They’re our kids, we love them, they’re identity is tied to us – we’re family!
Jesus’ followers belong to him.
Their identity is in him.
Their lives are modelled on him, connected to him, and connected to each other.
They bear the family resemblance.

This is an excerpt from the sermon entitled, “The Mindset of Christ”.