Like Mother, Like Daughter
Robert E. Vincent
The prophet Ezekiel prophesied to the nation of Judah in the years prior to and during the period of Babylonian captivity. Just as Israel had been taken away into bondage for her spiritual adultery, so Judah would also fall. Ezekiel said to Judah, “Behold, everyone that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter” (Ezekiel 16:44). Judah was following the same path of destruction that Israel and the other nations around her had followed.
I am sure you have probably heard it said of a son or a daughter, “He is the spitting image of his dad,” or “She sure looks like her mother.” This is true not only of physical traits, but also of behavior characteristics that we inherit from our parents, whether they be good or bad. Many times we look just like “dad” or “mom,” and we also act just like them. Thus is the meaning of the phrase, “As is the mother, so is her daughter.” Certainly there is a spiritual application in this statement for us today.
As an adult, think back upon your childhood and your upbringing. From where did you receive your spiritual guidance? From dad and mom? From grandma and grandpa? From friends and church members? Did you have any spiritual training at all?
As parents, the responsibility for our children’s spiritual instruction rests squarely upon our shoulders. The apostle Paul wrote, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). While the church plays an important part in this training, the primary responsibility of teaching and spiritually training our children is dad’s and mom’s! What kind of spiritual guidance and training are you giving your children? Let us keep in mind the principle, “Like mother, like daughter.”
In light of the fact that our children will grow up to be like us, when your child matures into adulthood, what will he or she be like? Will they be Christians? Will they have obeyed the Gospel of Christ because of the instruction and encouragement you gave them as their father and mother? As a parent, have you talked with your kids about becoming Christians? If not, why not? As parents, you and I will give account unto God for what kind of parents we have been.
Dear brother and sister in Christ, what kind of an example are you, as a Christian, before your children? Do they see a dad and mom who are committed to Christ first, and, then, to one another? Of all the things we can give to our children, the greatest are love for God, love for family, and to know they are loved!
Based upon your present attendance record of Sunday morning Bible study, morning worship, Sunday evening worship, and Wednesday evening Bible study, will your children grow up to be faithful in their attendance? If you are not faithful in your attendance, chances are your children will not be faithful either.
Are you as involved with the church as you know you ought to be? Brethren, if our children are Christians now, they are the church of today, but certainly they will also be the church of tomorrow! Will there be a congregation in the future meeting where we live if our children grow up to be just like us? “As is the mother, so is her daughter.”
Do you need to make changes in your life for the better? Remember, not only your soul but also the eternal destiny of the soul of your child is at stake! Heaven or hell, which will it be?
By the way, spiritually speaking, is your son or daughter your “spitting image?” -1311 Sanlor Ave., West Milton, OH 45383.