I'm not my Dad

   There are two statements people make when they see Joah. One, "He is probably the happiest baby I've ever seen!" and two, "He is definitely Ryan's kid." The second statement always makes me think. He IS so much like Ryan. He looks like Ryan. He has Ryan's goofy, corky personality. He even dresses like his daddy. He makes almost the exact same facial expressions as Ryan. BUT he is NOT Ryan.

   The other day, Joah and I were playing when the theme song for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse came on. Joah stopped what he was doing to watch. I just stared at my son in adoration and I was in awe of him when I saw his expression on his face. An expression I was familiar with. It was the same expression my husband gets when he is really pleased. It's a half-smile quirk and you can see how happy he is all the way up to his eyes. It was in that moment that God spoke to me so audibly. "Kayla this is how I look at you." At first, I didn't understand what He really meant by that.

  Later that day, I was listening to an older sermon Pastor Hunter Wright had preached on. (http://www.ignitionchurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/4.7.13_mastered.mp3)

"When you are IN Christ, what is true of you is true of Christ."

   Those words hit me so deeply. Is that what God was saying to me? I began really taking notes on the sermon (something I do often), only this time not because I had to or was told to BUT because I  desperately wanted to know more. As my pen stroked the pages, the words were jumping off, brushing my cheeks ever so softly and helping me understand HOW God loves me. "We are not LIKE Christ we are IN Christ." When I stopped trusting in myself and stopped thinking that I'm never going to be good enough is when I was found IN Christ. When we are IN Christ we reflect God. We are not (and never could be) God, but we do reflect and resemble Him in a lot of ways. You don't have to earn Him! I don't have to earn Him? Man! That speaks loudly to me! In most of my relationships, the amount of love I receive is based upon the amount of effort I put into that relationship. The fact that I don't have to do anything for Him to love me isn't a concept I'm used to, but one I'm extremely thankful for.

   Below is a picture of Ryan (left) as a baby and Joah (right) as a baby. They look VERY similar to each other. Ryan IS his father so Joah should look similar to him. BUT Joah is a reflection of who Ryan is, not that he has to be Ryan, but that he gets to resemble him. These two are a constant reminder of who I am in Christ. I get the opportunity to resemble Christ. Not the burden of trying to be LIKE Christ.