Imitating Is Not Copycatting

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.  Hebrews 13:7 

“Just do what I do” has become a well-known cliché.   It has permeated our Christian world and initiated a club of copycats.  I was one for decades and still have to be careful not to fall into this trap.  Here’s how it works ~

I watch the lives of other believers I admire and then copy their behavior.  I observe how many hours they serve in the church and consider it a template to follow.  I watch how they make decisions and adopt their method as my own.  For the most part, I am simply a copycat of my heroes.  I might even talk like one of them ~ using their trademark expressions.

Is this what the writer of Hebrews is advocating?  No. Scripture does not hold up another person’s behavior as the thing to ultimately focus on.  God is heart-centered, not performance based.  When I see a leader I greatly respect, I am to prayerfully consider what has shaped their heart for Christ. What spiritual disciplines have they embraced that have resulted in such an outpouring of the fruits of the Spirit?

Their pursuit of Christ, not how they lived and served, is the pathway I am to follow.

Copycats never come off as genuine because they are not.  My passion for Christ may be similar to yours but how we live that out according to our God-given bents is quite different.  When I have to change my personality to try to become like someone else, I’ll know I’ve taken the wrong road.

Your children can have mentors and still be genuine.  Lead them on the right paths in their relationships.  Amen