A Younger Version of Me

Some life events just stand out. I am referring to experiences which are life-changing…blazed into your mind’s eye forever. These are so poignant, the sights, sounds and even the feelings can be replayed in your head. There are other events that do not fit into the life-changing category, but they are nevertheless memorable.

One of these memorable but not life-changing events happened to me last year. My wife, middle son and I attended a school play. While my wife and I grabbed some seats, my son talked with friends in the lobby. After securing our seats I left the auditorium. Simultaneously as I was leaving, my son entered and proceeded to stand next to his mother.

The lady seated behind them tapped my son on the shoulder and said, “Whatever you are drinking, I want some.” Obviously, he was confused because no food or drink was allowed in the facility. Then she clarified, “You left the room and when you returned, you were 25 years younger.”

You see, this particular son happens to look a lot like me when I was his age. He also walks like me and shares some of the same hand gestures. When I returned we all had a good laugh. This brought to mind Luke 6:40 which says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (ESV).

It is not uncommon for children to look or act like one of their parents. I am constantly finding myself doing something, a hand gesture or habit which is characteristic of my Dad. If you had known Pastor Shelly Ezell, the man who led me to Christ and taught me how to preach, you would recognize similar traits of his I replicate without even thinking.

Knowing this as leaders and disciplers should affect the way we live as we minister to others. While we are teaching each of the people within our sphere of influence to be individuals, we must keep in mind they will probably still look a bit like us.

One of the books that influenced my life early in my ministry was Principles of Spiritual Growth by Miles Standish. One of the concepts in his book that impacted me was that we could not take others any further that we ourselves had been. This concept prompts some questions as I wrestle with Luke 6:40.

• Am I purposely investing in potential young leaders?
• Do I truly understand the weight of doing life together with others?
• If the young leaders I influence are to look a bit like me, what does that look like?
• Am I living an intentional life of continuous spiritual growth?
• Is my life worthy of imitation?
• What are the traits I would desire others to emulate?
• How am I working on changing the less desirable aspects of my life?
• Am I continually growing and evaluating my life, or have I just settled?

Our goal should be to disciple and develop others in their faith and ministry. This is the concept I refer to often as “reproducing-reproducers.” The question I consistently ask myself is, “Do the people I disciple and develop look more like Jesus?”