Family Traits

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:24-32

Lucy walked up to Fay on the playground. “You’re a Christian, aren’t you?”

Fay looked at her new classmate in surprise. “Yeah, I am,” she said, stopping her swing abruptly. “How did you know?”

“I’ve seen people like you before,” Lucy replied. “You don’t make fun of Melina like other kids do or yell at Ellen when she teases you.”

Fay bit her lip and shrugged, not sure how to respond.

While grocery shopping with her mother that evening, Fay told her about Lucy. “I hadn’t said a word to her about being a Christian or going to church or anything!” she said. “How could she know I’m a Christian?”

Before Mom could answer, a woman standing behind a little table said, “How would you like to try a cheese sample?”

Mom pushed her shopping cart to the table. “That sounds good.”

The woman gave Mom a sample first. Then, as she handed one to Fay, she smiled and said, “I can’t believe how much you look like your mom!”

When they moved away, Mom smiled at Fay. “That’s a good answer to your question about Lucy. It’s all about family traits. You have my curly red hair, brown eyes, and small build. It’s easy to see that you’re my daughter because we share these family traits. Being part of God’s family is like that too. The Holy Spirit develops traits in us that reflect those of Jesus—traits like love, patience, and kindness. That’s often how people can tell we’re Christians.”

“I think I get it, Mom,” Fay said. “But sometimes we don’t act like Christians.”

“That’s true,” Mom replied. “Treating others badly can make it more difficult for them to see that we belong to God’s family—just like it would be harder for people to see that you’re part of our family if you dyed your hair black and wore green contacts. When our actions keep us from looking like Jesus, we need to confess our sin to Him and trust Him to help us do better.”

Fay nodded thoughtfully. “Tomorrow I’m going to tell Lucy that being kind to others is a trait God gave me to make me look more like Jesus. Maybe then she’ll want to belong to His family too!” – Susannah Dorfsmith

How About You?

Do you share traits with other members of your family? Maybe you’re tall like your grandpa, dark-skinned like your mom, or stocky like your dad. What about God’s family traits? If you’re a Christian, the Holy Spirit is working in your life to give you traits like kindness, patience, and self-control to make you look more like Jesus. Then others will notice the resemblance and see you belong to His family.

Today’s Key Verse:
John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Christians share traits with Jesus