I was looking for a reason to share these pictures with you, and today I have one! The photos you are looking at are from BOY WEEK earlier this summer. Jenny took Joel to Virginia for a visit with her sister, Alena, leaving Caleb and I to fend for ourselves for a whole week! We had been waiting for this moment. We had been planning for such a week. We were ready.
Caleb quickly came up with a name for this epic adventure: “BOY WEEK,” he concluded. Caleb was excited to do a ton of “man stuff” and complete several lifelong goals he had made.
Namely, the goals of BOY WEEK were to:
- Catch his (Caleb’s) very first fish
- Complete the Tri-Tip Challenge (climb three peaks in San Luis Obispo, then enjoy a famous local tri-tip sandwich)
- Go camping
- Shoot guns
- Do zero-G’s in an airplane
- Make memories together!
After a long and sleepless (but exhilarating) week, we accomplished all our goals, and then some. I am so thankful for BOY WEEK! We made some serious memories and bonded together.
Esteemed, Favorite, and Worthy of Love
The most interesting thing about BOY WEEK was that I didn’t come up with it first. Caleb has been copying nearly everything I do lately. I get up before dawn every morning to have my quiet time with Jesus on the couch, and Caleb wants to do the same. I like hiking, so now he’s all about it. I tell fishing stories from many years ago B.C. (that is, Before Children), and now he wants to go fishing. Caleb wants to be like his daddy. And it’s the most wonderful thing in the world to me.
I am reading Ephesians right now, and I was encouraged as I read the first verse of chapter 5 (in the AMPC translation):
Therefore be imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].
The Greek word for imitator is the word mimētēs and literallly means “to mimic.” This is where we get the English word mimic from. The phrase well-beloved children in the Greek is teknon agapētos. Teknon means children or offspring, and agapētos is a form of agape, which you may be familiar with. Agape describes unconditional, total, and perfect love. According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, the word agapētos means beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, and worthy of love.
Wow! I have close friends who cannot relate to this type of love from their childhood experience. Maybe you never felt beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, or worthy of love from your father. I am among the fortunate few of those in my sphere who did grow up with a father who went out of his way to express his love to me. I am eternally thankful for my loving Dad who never missed a chance to tell me how proud he was of me and how much he loved me.
But notice that the Holy Spirit says, “be imitators of God as well-beloved children [imitate their father].” I am convinced that Caleb imitates me because he feels beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, and worthy of my love. I always tell him, “You are my favorite boy over the age of two!” (Of course, Joel is 18 months old, so he falls into a different category.)
I want to ask you today, friend, do you want to imitate, or mimic, God? Do you want to walk in the power that He walks in? Do you want to love others with the unconditional, relentless love of the Father? Do you want to forgive others and walk in total peace, as Jesus does? If you are having trouble imitating God, perhaps it is because you haven’t yet learned that you are agapētos –dearly loved, beloved, esteemed, or deemed worthy– by Him.
Questions for Today
I encourage you to seriously consider the following questions today:
- Do you find it difficult to imitate God in your everyday life? After pondering this question, can you articulate one reason why this might be?
- Now that you have a deeper understanding of the phrase “dearly beloved” from the Greek, do you really, truly feel agapētos by God?
- If the Holy Spirit spoke revelation to your heart while reading this, what action steps are you going to take TODAY to step into a new level of freedom and love in Jesus? If you take a step forward, the Holy Spirit WILL meet you and empower you to heal and grow in areas you need it the most!
I am so excited about the power of God’s Word. Today’s simple Scripture contains the keys to healing deep wounds from your past and the ushering in of fresh passion and perspective for your future.