Big Shoes to Fill

Bible Reading: Habakkuk 1:12-13
O Lord…your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Habakkuk 1:12-13, NIV

BASEBALL’S KEN GRIFFEY JR. Actress Tori Spelling Singer Natalie Cole Actor George Clooney Congressman Joe Kennedy Race car driver Michael Andretti Singer Whitney Houston

What do all those people have in common? OK, OK, they’re all famous. Yeah, yeah, their names all begin with capital letters. Anything else?

Here are a few hints: Ken Griffey Jr.’s father played baseball for the Reds, Mariners, and other teams. Tori Spelling’s father is a television producer. Natalie Cole’s dad was a famous singer. Joe Kennedy is the son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Whitney Houston’s mother is Cissy Houston, a gospel singer. George Clooney comes from a show business family-his dad, Nick Clooney, and his aunt Rosemary Clooney.

All the people listed above are the sons or daughters of someone who achieved success and fame in sports, politics, or entertainment. If you talked to them, some would probably say their parents pressured them to “follow in their footsteps.” Others probably pursued their careers in spite of Mom’s and Dad’s objections. Still others might have learned so much from Dad that it was only natural for them to excel in the same field. Probably most-if not all-of their parents were pleased when their sons and daughters chose to follow in their footsteps.

Which kind of brings us to God. God, as our heavenly Father, is different in a lot of ways from most earthly fathers. But in one way he’s quite similar: He’s pleased when we follow in his footsteps. That’s why he commands us to be pure, because he himself is pure. He’s so pure, in fact, that he can’t even look at evil. Because he’s pure, he values purity. And because he values purity, he wants us to be pure.

Whether we become famous athletes, singers, actors, or something else entirely, God wants us to be just like him in the purity of our life. He’s even willing to help us, through the work of his Holy Spirit, who lives inside us.

REFLECT: Has anyone in your family followed in his or her parents’ footsteps? Are you following in God’s footsteps? If so, in what ways? If not, how can you do so?

ACT: Place a pair of your mom’s or dad’s shoes somewhere in your room as a reminder to follow in your heavenly Father’s footsteps today.

PRAY: “God, I’m really glad to have you, the Creator of the whole universe, as my heavenly Father. Teach me how to follow in your footsteps.”