The Older We Get, the More We Resemble Our Parents

I recently paid a long-overdue visit to my cousin. As I stepped through the door and saw her coming to greet me, I was momentarily taken aback; it felt as though my late aunt, who had passed more than a decade ago, was standing before me. Over the seven years since we’d last met, my cousin had grown into a striking likeness of her mother. Sensing my surprise, she was the first to speak.

Being the youngest of four siblings, I had always heard that I resembled my father more than the others. Now, well into my forties, with gray threading through my hair and fine lines forming around my mouth, such comments have only grown more frequent. In fact, people no longer simply say I resemble him—they say I am him.

“It’s like your father came back to life!” my cousin exclaimed. Even her daughter chimed in, “I thought Uncle was walking in!”

Perhaps it’s their longing for him, but these days, I often find my relatives searching my face for glimpses of my father just as I sometimes catch myself talking to my reflection in the mirror, seeing his image in mine.

Later, as I watched my cousin bustling around the kitchen, her figure and demeanor so vividly echoed her mother’s that I couldn’t help but remark, “It’s true what they say—people really do come to resemble their parents more as they age. I didn’t notice it before, but today you look just like Auntie.”

She laughed. “Funny you should say that. When I saw your sister the other day, I thought the exact same thing—she looked just like your mother!”

It was true. I’d never thought my sister looked particularly like our mother—until a few months ago. When we met again after some time apart, I was stunned to see my mother’s features in her face. Even her gestures, the cadence of her voice—so much of her had returned in my sister.

Of course, children growing to resemble their parents is nothing new. It’s a universal truth, woven into every living being God has created. We, too—formed in the image of God Elohim—are meant to reflect our Heavenly Parents. Scripture tells us we are born not of the flesh, but of the Spirit, and as such, we are called to bear the fruit of that Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

So I ask myself: Do I resemble our Heavenly Parents more today than when I first received the truth? Just as our earthly features grow to mirror those of our parents with time, may my spirit mature to reflect the likeness of God more clearly each day. I long for the moment when our Heavenly Father and Mother behold Their children transformed into Their divine image and smile with joy, saying, “They look just like Us.”