The Highest Form of Flattery
By Stephanie LaCasse
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk
in the way 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 (NIV)
“DJ, what are you doing?” I asked my seven-year-old. He was walking directly behind me as I scurried around one morning, even reaching his hand up, mimicking motions of buttering a waffle. “I'm learning how to be a parent like you!” he exclaimed. “And I’m doing everything that you do, Mom.” This interaction stayed with me all day. He was doing what I was doing, following my steps.
When I was little, I used to watch my mom while she baked. Toward the end, she would scrape the spatula over the running mixer beaters to clean them off, saying, “Don't do this. The spatula could get stuck in the beaters.” Want to take a guess how I clean off my spatula now that I'm a grown-up with kids of my own? I use this example not to criticize my mother, but to emphasize that as children, we watched our parents in order to know how to act, along with how and what to say.
In the verse above, Paul is reminding the church in Ephesus to follow Christ's example of sacrifice. We are to give up ourselves for Him just as Christ gave Himself up out of love for us. If we want to go through Jesus' motions and do everything that He did, what does that look like when His life took Him to the cross?
Here’s the kind of "walk in the way of love" that Paul was speaking of: a sacrificial way of living and loving. Jesus told his disciples, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." In the very next verse He said, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:12-13).
I long to be a Christ-like example for my children, and I am thankful that I can look to Christ as to how I need to live. Yes, Christ is perfect and I am not, but we are to strive for holiness. Scripture says, “...be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).
So how do we follow Christ's example? When we spend time with others, we naturally become like them. Spending time in God's Word allows us the opportunity to become more like Him. We were, after all, made in His image...made to follow in His steps.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Who or what are you looking to for guidance?
2. Who is watching you? What lessons are you teaching?
FURTHER READING:
Stephanie is a mom of three young sons and wife to Dave, who is recently graduated from seminary and is preparing for chaplaincy in the US Army. In her spare time, she’s employed at a law firm.
