Have you ever had the privilege of someone coming up to you and
asking, “Hey, aren’t you Jack’s kid?” Unless your Dad’s name is Jack, the
answer is “no”.
Well, my Dad’s name is Jack and yes, I have lived that
scenario…several times! At first, being naive, I thought it was kind of’ neat.
I was proud of my daddy and I was aware that my father had made enough of an
impression that people knew him and they were able to identify me because of
it.
As I grew up, the question started to lose its charm. The more
it was asked the edgier it felt! My response went from an innocent “Yes I am!”
to an inquisitive and foreboding “Who wants to know?” I began to realize that the
impressions that my father had made caused a judgment that was being passed along
to me.
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What took me the longest to realize was the method to make the
identification. Please understand, it wasn’t that this person just happened to
be thinking of my father (whom they hadn’t seen in twenty years) looked at me
and miraculously put two-and-two together. However, it was my name that led to
the inquisition. I can still hear it, “Hambrock… Are you Jack’s kid?” This line
of questioning would be followed by the comment, “Yeah, you look like ‘em”
And that’s what got me thinking. When people let it slip that
they are “Christian”, they make it known that they are of the family of God.
They are telling the world that God is their Father. And just like with my dad,
people pass judgment on me because of the impressions He made on them. It
wasn’t until I had children of my own that I realized people formed opinions
about my Father through me.
So, in a nutshell here’s the truth! People will know us by our
family name and will pass judgment on us by the impressions left by our Father.
But know this, the way people feel about our Father is based on their judgment
of our mannerisms and character.
I don’t know about you, but
I’m not too concerned with the impressions God leaves on people. But, I do
wonder about the impressions I have made and what people think of Him…because
of me.
