Like My Father

As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”  (1 Peter 1:15, 16 The Message).

My father's dusty, heeled-over, cowboy boots rest on the floor of my study, daily reminders of the kind of man that he was.

My father's in heaven now and I have another Father to emulate. I want be just like Him, filled with His goodness, redolent with his love. I’m not there yet; his boots are much too large for me to fill.

Among other things, he raised and trained cutting horses—powerful, equine athletes that move like quicksilver. I loved to watch him at work, marveling that he could stay astride.

As a boy, growing up, I wanted to be just like him. I'm in my eighties now, and his boots are still too large for me to fill.

But Peter said this: “The God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:10). He has the wisdom and power to do that, you know (vs. 11).

Our lack of likeness to our Heavenly Father will not last forever. God has called us to share the beauty of character that is His. Very soon we’ll be like Him! (1 John 3:2). This is the "true grace of God" (1Peter ‪5:12)

David Roper