	Bob Hostetler > Devotions

When I Grow Up

by Bob Hostetler

"We know that when he appears, we shall be like him" (1 John 3:2b, NIV).

The final chapel service at the Christian seminary I had attended occurred after the graduation ceremonies, and it was an emotional service. It became even more emotional as the faculty members lined the wall of the sanctuary in a receiving line to say their farewells to each graduating student on the way out of the service. Many students, upon leaving that room, would immediately steer a loaded moving van to a distant destination.

I choked back tears as I said goodbye to each of my instructors. Finally, however, I approached the man I loved and respected more than all the others, a godly man in his fifties who had been my mentor, and the image to me of what a Christian man should be.

I gripped his hand in mind and spoke through a voice choked with emotion.

"When I grow up," I said, only half joking, "I want to be just like you."

He didn't crack a smile. He held my hand in his for a long moment and locked gazes with me.

"Aim much higher than that," he said seriously.

Prayer: Father God, help me, as I grow and mature, to become more and more like you.

More devotions by Bob Hostetler...