Can You Say, "Imitate me"?

The last few weeks I’ve been thinking about parenting and what parents’ “model” for their children. Everyone knows children learn by what they see their parents do. We have common statements that describe this reality. “Do what I say, not what I do.” “Monkey see, monkey do.” “The seed doesn’t fall far from the tree.” “Actions speak louder than words.” Children watch their parents closely. There is a tendency by the child to pick up the habits and practices of their parents. If the parents yell at each other, throw around insults and “name call” they almost guarantee their children will do the same. When confronted with the reality that children imitate their parents, people respond by saying, “I know a child who … his parents were the worst! He didn’t pick up his parents' traits. We can all think of situations like that. Those children are the exception and not the norm. The Apostle Paul told the believers in Corinth “… you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NLT) That is a very bold statement by the Apostle. He knows he is adequately imitating Christ and, because he is imitating Christ, he can challenge the believers to imitate him. I want to live a life that is worthy of imitating. Could I say, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ?” or “Imitate my honesty, my integrity, my leadership, my serving, my compassion, my kindness, and my forgiveness?” As a parent, the onus is on me to live a life that is desirable for my children imitating. Do I want them to tell the truth? I better be a truth teller. Do I want them plugged into a church and regularly worshipping with God’s people? I better be involved and regular. Do I want them to be generous? I better be generous. Do I want them to live a life of service? I better be serving. The inescapable truth is our children will imitate us and they will live the kind of life we live. The Apostle Paul said, “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves.” 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT) Jesus, transform us so we live lives worth imitating. Amen