copy cat

I have this picture of Josiah and me. It’s one of my favorites. We went to Picnic Point beach one day just to play. It’s a rocky beach, which he loves. I honestly think he could stand at the water’s edge and throw stones for hours if we let him. Well, on this day, Carla captured a wonderful moment.

See, Josiah has this thing about his dad, which I love. He wants to be just like me. He sees and follows just about everything I do. He’s a little copy cat. In a way it’s a really scary thing. I’m not all that good, you know. Just because I’m a pastor doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing in life. I mess up and am weak just like everyone else. What if Josiah sees and follows that example?! There are times that I’m terrified of him being a copy cat. But that’s my issue. Well, one of them at least. On this day at the beach it was beautiful and memorable.

That morning he even wanted to dress like daddy. I was wearing blue jeans, sneakers, and an orange t-shirt with a black jacket over it. So, guess what he needed to wear? Yup. Even down to the orange t-shirt. Precious. Then, when we got to the beach, he wanted dad to throw rocks with him. He is still pretty young at this point so I was helping him out a little. “Okay, hold the rock with this hand and then pull your arm all the way back…” I didn’t even know Carla was back there until she had taken several pictures.

There’s something special about this candid shot. It’s an amazing image of a little boy and his father. The boy is a copy cat. The son looks like his dad not only because of the family resemblance, but in his dress. But he’s also copying his action. They’re standing the same way. They’re holding the same thing. They’re facing the same direction. They have the same intent. The only difference (except for the size, of course) is the little glance. The boy is shooting a little glance over at his dad. He’s watching him. He’s copying him. He wants to know exactly what dad is doing. Why? Well, because he wants to do it too!

I love that picture because I’m the dad in it. But I also love it because I’m the son in it. In that image, I see me and Jesus. That’s how I see my Heavenly Father. I want to be just like Him in every possible way. It’s not enough to simply be where He is and do what He does. I want to look and feel and smell and sound like Him. As one of my favorite musical artists, Warren Barfield, sings, “I want to be mistaken for Jesus.”

The day is coming when Josiah won’t copy cat his dad anymore. (As former youth pastors, Carla and I are painfully aware of this teenage reality. We’re bracing ourselves for that day.) But hopefully he’ll keep one thing front and center. I pray he copies one thing to the letter. I hope and pray that he follows me as I follow Jesus. When it comes to our Father in heaven, I hope we all turn out to be phenomenal copy cats.