You’ve probably seen kids try to copy what the adults around them are doing.
When our boys were little, they had toy lawnmowers, and sometimes when I would mow the yard, they would want to come outside and follow me with their little mowers. They’d put on their boots like me, push those toy lawnmowers up and down the rows, and try to do what Dad was doing.
When I think about that now, it feels sweet, but also kind of serious. Because kids don’t just imitate the cute things. They watch more than we realize. They pick up on our attitudes, our priorities, the way we speak, the way we handle stress, and the way we treat people.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
That is a big statement. At first, I hear that and think it means I need to make sure I’m doing all the right Christian things on the outside so my boys can see the example they’re supposed to follow. And yes, what I do matters.
But I think it has to go deeper than that.
If I want my life to point my boys toward Jesus, I need the Holy Spirit to keep changing me on the inside. I need Him to shape my heart, my reactions, my patience, my humility, and my love for others. Because the goal is not just to look like a good Christian from the outside. The goal is to become more like Jesus.
That’s the only kind of imitation that is really worth following.