No Cheap Imitation

What comes to mind when you hear the word imitation?  Does it bring to mind something fake that is only a representation of something real?    Do you think of cubic zirconia, or the seafood package labeled "imitation crab?"  There's nothing wrong with these things, they are acceptable as what they actually are, but we don't want to be fooled by their appearance.  Not all imitation is a cheap attempt to replicate something that cannot be manufactured; there is a kind that is genuine.  When someone inspires us, we want to be like them.  We may adapt our appearance, speech or behavior to gain the qualities that draw us to them.  While it is important to be ourselves, people often do adopt characteristics that they learn from others that they admire.

When I was a girl my mama used to tell me that imitation was the sincerest form of flattery.  I certainly had my doubts about that.  When younger kids would "copy" me I found it bothersome and annoying. No doubt there is a type of imitation that is meant as mockery, but there is also a type that should give the one being imitated a sense of responsibility to be a worthy leader.  After all, what are imitators but followers?  In the Bible we find statements like, "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children."  Ephesians 5:1 and, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." 1 Corinthians 1:1.  As a child I was too immature to realize that being imitated is an amazing opportunity, but now that I am seasoned I am beginning to understand that God uses this type of relationship to build His Kingdom.

On Thursday I was teaching a children's Bible class when a little girl in kindergarten got my attention and told me that she plays church at home.  I wanted to affirm her for having a heart for the things of God, but wasn't at all expecting what I heard next.  "I pretend to teach like you."  I don't think that child could possibly know what an encouragement her confession was to me.  It is too easy to become discouraged as a teacher when you have kids who are putting all there energy into disrupting the class and trying to prevent the message from being clearly delivered.  To know that there is one child there who would actually go home and play out the act of teaching is enough to keep me going for a while.  

I wonder who she teaches and what her message is.  Does she set up her dolls and tell them about the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus walking on water, or the parable of the talents.  Does she remind her class over and over that Jesus died in their place so their sins could be forgiven if they believe on Him?  Maybe she has a little brother or sister she can teach.  I remember telling the kids a couple of weeks ago that they can practice telling their pets the good news so that they will feel more confident when they have a chance to share with a person.  To hear that one of the kids is really practicing at home is such a blessing.  At five or six years old, God is preparing this little girls heart to teach, and I believe He is going to use her.  He already has!  As often happens the student has opened the eyes of the teacher.

I can't go back and undo the messes I made in my past by allowing imitation to frustrate me, but from where I am I can become the leader God created me to be.  I can embrace the opportunity to show others how to be like Christ.  I must continually point the way to Him, and be an imitator of God, so that when others see something in me they would like to become they will understand that it's really Him in me.  It is a great responsibility, but also a great privilege and joy.  "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?"  1 Thessalonians 2:19

One Star

There's something about me that you may have figured out on your own by now, but I'm just going to come right out and say it...  I love Jesus!  He's the best!  There's no one on earth that compares to Him.  There are plenty of famous people out there, but in my book He is the only one who really is a star.  Who else biologically has God as their Father?  (By the way, about God and Jesus, you can't really be crazy about the one without loving the other as well, and the Holy Spirit too.  Their a package deal; an inseparable trio if you understand me.)  Who else came to live without sin and die an undeserved death to pay for the sins of the world?  Who else conquered death and rose to life never to die again?  Who else went to heaven to be with the Father and sent the Holy Spirit to live inside those who believe?  The fact that the Holy Spirit lives inside of me makes it impossible not to be smitten with the Father and the Son.  I hope you're not shocked by this disclosure, but there it is.  

Really, what had me thinking about this today was a video clip of a young girl who performed on The X Factor, and was told she was a star.  She stood before a multitude of people with such great confidence and used her talent so well.  I liked her.  She didn't seem arrogant or conceited, but rather she sang boldly without any apparent doubt in her ability.  She just seemed to connect with what was inside of her and let it pour out.  She said that she sings from her heart, and it showed.  It reminded me of how I feel when I sing for Jesus.  I don't know where her confidence comes from.  I do know this... The reason that I can sing or speak in front of anyone at all is because I know that God lives in me, and I want to bring glory to Him.  I won't deny that I appreciate a sincere pat on the back as much as the next person, but I couldn't do what I do unless He had called me to do it for Him.  I don't have confidence in myself.  I was born and raised with very little esteem of the flesh and bones that are Juanita Marie, but the closer my relationship with Almighty God becomes, the more I realize that I can have confidence in what He will do in and through me. 

There are many people out there that inspire me, people I admire, but the reason is not what they have done so much as who they are pointing people to.  They love Jesus like I do.  Their sphere of influence may be larger, but we have the same core.  It is sad to see people who are living with empty fame and success because they are missing the the One that would make them really shine.  You see we can't really be stars.  What we can be are mirrors that reflect the brilliance of God to the eyes of the people around us so that they see Him.  Any other type of sparkle is merely glitter and paste that will eventually crumble and disintegrate over time.  It will flake off and it will fall to the ground.  God's kingdom will last forever and those who have reflected His light will forever be a part of it,  but you can't reflect the Father without believing in the Son and receiving the Holy Spirit.  Knowing that the Holy Spirit is living in you and will reflect the Father to the world through the work of His Son on the cross is definitely a source of confidence. 

Wherever God calls me to shine here on earth, whether it be in a small sphere or a great realm, I want to shine with the light that the Holy Spirit reflects back to God.  I want to bring Him glory, honor and praise, and I want everyone around me to be able to see Him when they look at me.  I have the awesome privilege of being used by God to help lead people to worship Him.  I am weak.  Sometimes I am distracted about playing or singing the right notes, sometimes I am distracted by the people in front of me, but those moments when The Spirit takes over and I feel like He is using me the way a skilled musician plays their instrument: that is indescribable.  Everyday I get caught up in trying to get things done right, or how the people around me are being affected, but I want to strive for a life of being used by God and showing people His magnificence.