Imitation
By Tracy Smith
“Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”
1 John 2:6 (NLT)
The first time I heard the country song Watching You, by Rodney Atkins, it really hit home to me as a parent. The song starts out with a dad and his four-year-old son driving along and when the dad has to hit the brakes, the boy spills his food and lets a four-letter word fly. When the dad asks where the son learned that word, the son replies with:
"I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad?
I want to do everything you do.
So I’ve been watching you."
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad?
I want to do everything you do.
So I’ve been watching you."
The song goes on to show the dad's reaction and give another nugget on the son and his imitations:
We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said, “Lord, please help me help my stupid self.”
Just this side of bedtime later that night
Turnin’ on my son’s Scooby-Doo nightlight.
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees.
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
Spoke to God like he was talkin’ to a friend.
And I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to pray like that?” [1]
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said, “Lord, please help me help my stupid self.”
Just this side of bedtime later that night
Turnin’ on my son’s Scooby-Doo nightlight.
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees.
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
Spoke to God like he was talkin’ to a friend.
And I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to pray like that?” [1]
Of course, the son goes on to repeat the chorus quoted above, that he learned to pray from watching and imitating his dad. That song always reminds me that our children are watching and learning from us at all times. Luckily, like this song states, they don't just learn our bad habits, but our good ones too - - despite our "stupid selves!"
My next train of thought was that there is only one ONE person whom we can imitate and not learn any bad habits: Jesus. The Bible tells us to look to Jesus as our example and to imitate Him and those that imitate Him. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”
I have to ask myself, when people look at me, do they see Jesus?
GOING DEEPER:
1. When people look at you, do they see Jesus?
2. If not, what can you do to change that?
FURTHER READING:
[1] Rodney Atkins, Watching You; Curb Records 2006
Along with being a wife and mother to two boys, Tracy is an administrative assistant at Oakwood, serves on the Women’s Ministry Special Events Team and leads a great group of Junior High girls.
