Walking in One's Father's Ways - The Wesleyan Church

In everything he followed the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them. (1 Kings 22:43)

We can find several sayings that reflect the continuous, identity-based relationships between fathers and sons. A son who resembles his father in every way is said to be his father's spitting image. When sons faithfully reproduce their father’s character, attitude, or appearance, we often repeat the adage, “Like father, like son.” And to speak of a son who takes the same behavioral or career path as his father, we say “walking in his father's shoes.” An African proverb about life says, “He who follows in his father’s footsteps learns to walk like him.”

In ancient biblical cultures, the identity or reputation of children was similarly linked to their parents. Appointed king of Judah, Jehoshaphat’s behavior stemmed from his lineage with his father, Asa. Jehoshaphat encouraged the authentic worship of God by waging a merciless war against immorality and idolatry as his father did. The Bible praised his right actions in the eyes of the Lord (v. 43). In these ways, Jehoshaphat walked faithfully in the footsteps of his father Asa and did not stray from them.

When we walk in the steps of our predecessors, we can fall short in many ways. Nevertheless, we will do much better when following the footprints of our heavenly Father, who never falters. As we live and lead, let us continue to walk in the footsteps of our God.

Continue to walk in your heavenly Father’s paths.

Handy Calixte is the national director of Christian education for L’Église Wesleyenne d’Haïti. He is pursuing an MDiv at Wesley Seminary and studying biblical Hebrew at Israel Institute of Biblical Studies.

Walking in One’s Father’s Ways