Having two small children at home has brought many of Jesus’s teachings into new light in my life. My faith has grown. It has been challenged. I have a deeper appreciation and love for what Jesus did for me and continues to do for me.
My older daughter is two years old and intently watches everyone around her, especially her mommy and daddy. She wants to do what we do and be like us. She copies a lot of what we do, both the good and the bad. While this imitation is flattering, it is also humbling. As she follows me around the house and mimics my words and actions, I feel like my true being is under a microscope with everything exposed. Some of the things I say and do I want her to learn. But then there are other things that I’d rather she not learn to do, some of which I don’t even realize I do until I see my toddler doing them!
We tend to mimic the people with whom we spend a lot of time. We pick up their habits, their language, and their perspectives, whether consciously or subconsciously. These people can shape who we are and who we become, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Sometimes we realize the impact they have on us, and sometimes we don’t. I find this verse in Ephesians to be both challenging and convicting. Am I an imitator of the Lord? Do I spend enough time with Him so that I reflect His actions, language, and perspective without even thinking about it? This imitation of God is what I want for myself, for my daughters, and for all of us who are the body of Christ.