“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” Herman Melville
Harvard psychiatrist, William Betcher, in
his book, Intimate Play: Creating Romance in Everyday Life shares the
life of one married couple.
“Jean has a tendency to be bossy, a trait she picked up from her dad, Harold. She can’t help telling people how to do things. When her old boyfriend would confront her on her bossiness, she would inevitably get defensive and argumentative, even though deep down she knew it was true. One of the first things she noticed in her relationship with John, to whom she is now married, was that he handled the situation quite differently.
She can still remember the first time she tried to tell him how to go about something: John was helping her cook a meal…peeling the carrots. Jean decided that he was doing the job all wrong and started to tell him how he should do it. John turned to her and leaned back against the counter with a sort of whimsical, knowing look on his face, and said, “Yes, Harold.” He drew the words out and said them in an exaggerated, joking way. Jean thought this lighthearted reference to the origin of her bossiness was very funny. Instead of getting defensive, she…began to imitate her father all the more—putting on his accent to look out over a pair of eyeglasses as her father often did…
Since then. John’s expression, “Yes, Harold,” has become a signal to Jean that she is tending to become bossy, a characteristic that has greatly decreased since it has been addressed in a non-threatening way.”
Unbeknownst to her at the time, Jean was imitating her father. We all do that, usually without even knowing it. Sometimes when I meet someone’s Dad or Mom, I can see where their adult child learned certain behaviors or mannerisms. For example, my Dad was very outgoing. It’s a trait that nearly all of his five children have. Shyness is not part of our makeup.
As you read the Gospels, you’ll find Jesus instructs us with “Follow Me” 13 times. Obviously, He’s not talking about His literal path or footsteps. Jesus is saying follow His life, imitate Him.
Following Jesus is not limited to passively believing in Him. It’s by observing through Scripture how He thought, how He responded to various situations of His life, and then intently and attentively by the power of the Holy Spirit, imitate His example – behavior, thinking, values, speech, etc.. Only then will we be able to live like Jesus, living out His life and godliness. Following Jesus and growing to be like Him is a lifetime pursuit. It takes patience and perseverance on our part along with lots of faith in Him and His never-failing grace.
All of us are following someone. All of us are imitating someone. So who are you following? Who are you imitating? How can we discover that?
Check what you see. How do you look at the world? Do you see this life the way that Jesus does? Jesus took time to notice people. He had a habit of it. One of the remarkable things about Jesus is that He could be surrounded by a crowd and yet single someone out who needed special attention.
What do we see? Opportunities to promote ourselves. Have you ever been talking to someone who’s climbing the ladder of popularity and they’re looking beyond you to see if they notice someone with more power or influence? Jesus saw the ones that far too many of us would overlook.
Are you in the habit of noticing people? I hope I don’t miss seeing people because I’m checking my phone or off in my own self-focus. One day we will have to give an account to God and explain why we didn’t notice people who were there because we were busy noticing people who were not there. Let’s keep our eyes open so we really notice people.
Check what you hear. One of my favorite parables is the one of the Good Shepherd (John 10 & Luke 15). What I love about the story in Luke 15 is that the shepherd leaves the 99 sheep to search for the one lost sheep. I know that at one time I was that lost sheep. I believe the Shepherd listened before he looked. He listened to the bleats and cries of the lost lamb. Jesus lived out James 1:19, “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak.”
Check your history. What does your calendar show about who you are following and what you value? How do you spend your time? Who do you socialize with? Who are your friends?
What about your internet history? If you looked at your recent posts, what did you want to share with the world? What did you take an interest in?
Most of us can easily analyze what we care about most just by pulling up our calendars, social feeds or credit card statements. They make a powerful statement about who and what we are following.
Acts 4:13 continually challenges my heart and life. It tells a lot about who you’re following and imitating. Peter and John were being interrogated by the Jewish leaders and they made a powerful observation: they knew they had been with Jesus. Even their enemies knew who they were following and who they were imitating.
We wonder why Christians have so little influence in today’s world. Acts 4:13 has the answer. Because you can be around Jesus and yet not be with Him. It’s more than knowledge or a few prayers. It’s more than religion as a hobby. Those early Christians turned the world upside down because they had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. They weren’t imitating some Harold. They were imitating Jesus Christ. He was their everything. All of us imitate someone. Who are you imitating? Who are you following?
“Jean has a tendency to be bossy, a trait she picked up from her dad, Harold. She can’t help telling people how to do things. When her old boyfriend would confront her on her bossiness, she would inevitably get defensive and argumentative, even though deep down she knew it was true. One of the first things she noticed in her relationship with John, to whom she is now married, was that he handled the situation quite differently.
She can still remember the first time she tried to tell him how to go about something: John was helping her cook a meal…peeling the carrots. Jean decided that he was doing the job all wrong and started to tell him how he should do it. John turned to her and leaned back against the counter with a sort of whimsical, knowing look on his face, and said, “Yes, Harold.” He drew the words out and said them in an exaggerated, joking way. Jean thought this lighthearted reference to the origin of her bossiness was very funny. Instead of getting defensive, she…began to imitate her father all the more—putting on his accent to look out over a pair of eyeglasses as her father often did…
Since then. John’s expression, “Yes, Harold,” has become a signal to Jean that she is tending to become bossy, a characteristic that has greatly decreased since it has been addressed in a non-threatening way.”
Unbeknownst to her at the time, Jean was imitating her father. We all do that, usually without even knowing it. Sometimes when I meet someone’s Dad or Mom, I can see where their adult child learned certain behaviors or mannerisms. For example, my Dad was very outgoing. It’s a trait that nearly all of his five children have. Shyness is not part of our makeup.
As you read the Gospels, you’ll find Jesus instructs us with “Follow Me” 13 times. Obviously, He’s not talking about His literal path or footsteps. Jesus is saying follow His life, imitate Him.
Following Jesus is not limited to passively believing in Him. It’s by observing through Scripture how He thought, how He responded to various situations of His life, and then intently and attentively by the power of the Holy Spirit, imitate His example – behavior, thinking, values, speech, etc.. Only then will we be able to live like Jesus, living out His life and godliness. Following Jesus and growing to be like Him is a lifetime pursuit. It takes patience and perseverance on our part along with lots of faith in Him and His never-failing grace.
All of us are following someone. All of us are imitating someone. So who are you following? Who are you imitating? How can we discover that?
Check what you see. How do you look at the world? Do you see this life the way that Jesus does? Jesus took time to notice people. He had a habit of it. One of the remarkable things about Jesus is that He could be surrounded by a crowd and yet single someone out who needed special attention.
What do we see? Opportunities to promote ourselves. Have you ever been talking to someone who’s climbing the ladder of popularity and they’re looking beyond you to see if they notice someone with more power or influence? Jesus saw the ones that far too many of us would overlook.
Are you in the habit of noticing people? I hope I don’t miss seeing people because I’m checking my phone or off in my own self-focus. One day we will have to give an account to God and explain why we didn’t notice people who were there because we were busy noticing people who were not there. Let’s keep our eyes open so we really notice people.
Check what you hear. One of my favorite parables is the one of the Good Shepherd (John 10 & Luke 15). What I love about the story in Luke 15 is that the shepherd leaves the 99 sheep to search for the one lost sheep. I know that at one time I was that lost sheep. I believe the Shepherd listened before he looked. He listened to the bleats and cries of the lost lamb. Jesus lived out James 1:19, “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak.”
Check your history. What does your calendar show about who you are following and what you value? How do you spend your time? Who do you socialize with? Who are your friends?
What about your internet history? If you looked at your recent posts, what did you want to share with the world? What did you take an interest in?
Most of us can easily analyze what we care about most just by pulling up our calendars, social feeds or credit card statements. They make a powerful statement about who and what we are following.
Acts 4:13 continually challenges my heart and life. It tells a lot about who you’re following and imitating. Peter and John were being interrogated by the Jewish leaders and they made a powerful observation: they knew they had been with Jesus. Even their enemies knew who they were following and who they were imitating.
We wonder why Christians have so little influence in today’s world. Acts 4:13 has the answer. Because you can be around Jesus and yet not be with Him. It’s more than knowledge or a few prayers. It’s more than religion as a hobby. Those early Christians turned the world upside down because they had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. They weren’t imitating some Harold. They were imitating Jesus Christ. He was their everything. All of us imitate someone. Who are you imitating? Who are you following?
Can
we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web
page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more
about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus
changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org
to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.
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