Imitating Jesus

I strongly dislike imitations.

There’s an honesty and a beauty with plain materials like wood, steel, stone, leather or wool, which an imitation can never achieve. Imitations are cheap, and they are fake. They are made for those who don’t have the feel for the real or just can’t afford it, yet want an illusion of the real stuff.

It’s similar with people. There is a unique beauty in every human being - especially when they are honest, natural and authentic, without any pretension. We are made in God’s image, everyone of us, and it seems that he never ran out of creativity.

So, why should you pretend or try to imitate someone? Become a cheap copy that never has a chance to match up with the original? Why shouldn’t you be true to yourself? Isn’t there a unique beauty just with you and your life?

Well, there is. However, there is even more.

The Apostle Paul wrote about imitating Jesus as a way to maturity. What did he mean by that?

In this case, imitating isn’t the same as pretending, it’s rather the opposite. This imitation leads to authenticity. The more you become like Jesus, the more you find freedom to be your true self.

The hard part is that you’ll have to give up your ego before finding that. Jesus said, “Whoever loses his life… will find it.”

Becoming an imitator of Jesus isn’t cheap and it’s not fake.

And what about Paul? Didn’t he also claim to be an example for others, so that they by imitating him would become more Christ-like? We probably don’t mature as disciples only by listening to speeches or reading books.

We need someone who let’s us get close to them, so that we can see and experience what a disciple is like in all aspects of daily life. In this case, imitation truly is a good thing.

What are your thoughts on this? Let me hear from you.