One of my favorite things to do in the evenings is to just sit and just watch my children. Matthew (my oldest) runs around, usually singing some crazy song, doing some crazy dance, or trying to do amazing jumps off of a stool and onto pillows. And following close behind is his little brother, Jackson. He idolizes his big brother and tries to do everything that Matthew does. He is right there singing the same crazy song, or doing a crazy dance, or jumping (a lot less gracefully) onto the pillows.
I am constantly amazed by my children and the way that they imitate the world around them, especially me. They seem to not be paying attention to anything that I am saying, and then the one time that my anger slips out or I say something that I really don’t want my children repeating, they repeat it word for word. Please tell me that I am not the only parent that this happens to! But in the same respect, I see them imitating some of the good things that I do as well.
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2). As I sit and think about the lessons that my children teach me in imitating, I wonder a few things. What would our world look like if we all, just as our children imitate us, imitated our heavenly father? What would our communities look like? What would our church look like? What would our houses look like? During this season of Christmas, in all the busyness and stress that it brings, I encourage you to be imitators of God, living that life of love to all that you meet, and therefore, showing our children how to live lives of love as well.