"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children." Ephesians 5:1, NKJV

"I'm not Giselle, I'm 'Teacher Giselle!'" Our four-year-old's imaginary play has taken on some dominant themes lately.  Most often, I can overhear her "reading" or sounding out the letters of the alphabet to an imaginary classroom of students.  Other times, she's pretending that she's on a volleyball court, energetically mimicking practice drills or plays she has watched her big sister perform again and again.  It's adorable.  And it's revealing -- it's telling of who she has been focused on and spending time with.  Her young mind is fixated on her incredible pre-K teacher in the classroom and her gifted big sister on the court for several hours multiple days a week.  (Yes, the volleyball games really do add up!)  Like one of my most influential elementary teachers frequently reminded us when I was a student:  Be beholding, we become changed.  What we allow our hearts to dwell upon and who we spend time keeping company with deeply influences our personal development.  It's a human principle of admiration and imitation that's not just true of us in our younger years but in every season of life.  So when it comes our spiritual development, what are we beholding?  And what are we becoming?

OUR HIGH CALLING

In Ephesians 5:1, Paul seems to answer these questions by setting our sights on the highest of ideals:  "Be imitators of God as dear children."  Sure we can imitate our childhood role models or experts in our vocational field to excel in the classroom or in the workplace.  But ultimately, as followers of Jesus we've been invited to fix our hearts' aim on something greater...Someone greater.  And if that's who we want to become like, then that's who we need to intentionally behold.

GETTING PRACTICAL

But how do I behold God?  My four-year-old can behold her teacher and big sister on a daily basis because she's constantly around them.  But how does that happen if I want to behold God?  Enter one-on-one encounters with God, devotions, solitude time, whatever you'd like to call it.  These are prime times to be attentive to God's presence and simply behold Him -- i.e. to let our hearts be drawn out in awe and wonder over who God is and what He does.  Like Moses atop Mt. Sinai, our daily times with Jesus can be opportunities to open our Bibles and let Him answer the prayer, "Show me Your glory!" (Ex. 33:18).  Let me share a few practical steps I've found helpful in beholding God:

• Start with the Psalms -- You might be surprised by that.  The Gospels use to be my first prescription to those just starting a devotional habit because those are stories all about Jesus -- what He says, what He does, how He treats people, how He makes us whole.  All incredible stories through which we can behold God.  But over the years, I've grown to appreciate the Psalms and their descriptions of what God is like that lie right on the surface rather than between the lines of a narrative.  Reading the Psalms is almost like reading someone's prayer journal allowing us to see what David and the other psalmists express praise, joy, angst, and even doubt about in their walk with God.  There are 150 of them to pick from, but I'd recommend starting in the Psalm 120s, 130s, and 140s range to kickstart your beholding God.  
• Behold God's character -- When you open to one of those psalms or passages in the Gospels, ask God:  "Lord, what are you revealing about Yourself here?"  Look in that passage for words or phrases that characterize God, i.e. things that indicate what He's like, what's important to Him, what He can be counted on for.  The reality is that you'll likely be able to discern several attributes about God, and as you do pay attention to the things that especially stand out above the rest or a certain verse that resonates with something you've experienced lately.  It may be that God's Spirit is wanting to draw your attention to something in particular.
• Respond in prayer -- As you detect different things about God's character and characteristics, turn those revelations about God into prayers of praise, gratitude, confession, petition, etc. to God.  For example, if I'm dwelling on the picture of God in Psalm 121, I might express this prayer of thanks: "Thank you Lord for being the God who never sleeps or slumbers, the One I can count on to keep watch over me." Or this prayer of confession and petition:  "Lord, I've gotten anxious and forgotten the fact that You're still watching out for me.  Remind me in my seasons of doubt that You will keep me."  These steps help me engage  one-on-one times with God as dialogue rather than monologue.  It helps me avoid being like the friend who selfishly takes up  all the air-time in a conversation, and at the same time keeps me from just being a silent spectator in the relationship.  The back-and-forth adds depth and facilitates intimacy.

Wherever we land in Scripture, let's use those times alone with God to simply behold His character and respond in prayer.  And as we do, we'll find that by beholding, we will become changed.