I didn’t meet my dad until I was 24 years old.

My mom and dad split up when I was just a baby. We moved away and I literally never met him once all throughout my childhood. It wasn’t until I was 24 that I was finally able to meet him and begin building a relationship with him.

One of the craziest parts of my first encounter with my biological father was how incredibly similar we were. I remember the first car ride from the airport and all the things we talked about. He was very creative, a photographer and a writer. I also do both of these. He was calm, cool, collected. I was too. Our mannerisms were alike, we had a similar worldview, similar life philosophies, we even had a propensity for the same vocabulary.

I profess to you that this is not something I went looking to prove or a small coincidence that I’ve exaggerated. I was truly taken aback by each similarity I discovered. Here is a man I had never met, that had absolutely no influence in my upbringing, yet the 50% of his DNA that resided in me was undeniably displayed in so many aspects of my personality.

This same concept can be observed when we come to know our heavenly Father.

When we accept Christ we become sons and daughters of God. As such, we assume his characteristics just like we would our earthly father. It’s as if we inherit a new set of DNA that changes who we are from the inside out. There are passages all throughout scripture that talk about it.

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn, not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
John 1:12-13
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.
Ezekiel 36:25-27For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…
Romans 8:14-17

Here’s what all that scripture is saying:

1. When we accept Christ as our Savior we become the sons and daughters of God.
2. We acquire the Holy Spirit and become a new creation.
3. Our conscience changes. We become aware of sin and are convicted by it.

So with that said, the question is this: Do you want to grow up to be like your dad?

Are you allowing God’s personality to change you? Are you letting him take control of your thoughts? Are you sacrificing your heart’s desires for His? If you’re a child of God all of these things are within you! Will you embrace them or reject them?

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