Recently, I have noticed that my eight year old daughter has taken to imitating not just myself but my husband as well. I first noticed this a few weeks ago when I was stepping into the shower. There is a spot on the windowsill in our bathroom where I always place my wedding rings when I take them off while showering. On this particular night, I noticed the spot was not empty as usual. It had a light pink sparkly child's ring of a fish with its mouth open. My daughter had seen my magical ring spot and decided she needed to keep her rings there as well. My husband loves to eat Icebreakers mints. Recently, when our daughter has been hanging out with him in the living room every time he ate a mint she asked for one too. He finally gave our daughter her own container of mints. She ate them exactly like her father. When the wind blows and their are limbs in our front yard, my husband gathers them all up and places them in the back of his pickup truck. This helps keep the yard clean and fresh. The other day when we got home from school, my daughter picked up a gigantic stick laying in our front yard. Now let me paint this picture for you, this stick was HUGE. It was way bigger than my daughter. I was not shocked she could pick it up, but I was shocked when she lifted it over her head and shoved it into the back of my husband's pickup truck. She was so proud of herself, and she knew dad would have less work to do when he got home. She knew dad would be excited!
When I think about the ways my daughter has been imitating my husband and I over the last several weeks, I am reminded of how we are called to be imitators of Christ. Just like my daughter put on the child's ring she left in my spot in the bathroom windowsill, may you remember to put on a loving and obedient heart as you go out in the world and reflect the love of God. Just like my daughter took in the Icebreakers mints like her dad, may you take in only the TV, music, conversations, and activities that you feel are pleasing and like-minded to God as you try to imitate Christ. Finally, remember that when we are striving to imitate Christ, we will be serving others. So, just like my daughter lifted that stick into the back of the pickup truck, don't be afraid to do some heavy lifting while you imitate what it looks like to serve like Christ. Imitating Christ is the best way to show your love for the Lord, grow in your relationship with God, and show your love for the Lord's people.
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:1-2).