Emulate

Have you ever seen a beautiful work of art, filled with detail and color, and have thought "I want to make this". If you are anything like me, this might mean seeing a diy project on Pinterest and setting out to try it myself. However, have you ever noticed that it hardly ever turns out as the original? Almost always, the copied piece has a different look than the example piece. To visualize this, think of those paint nights where there is an instructor who guides everyone to paint a beautiful sunset. Yet, when everyone finishes up, there are always variations as everyone adds their own personal style or flavor. 

I think this is how we are called to reflect Christ. Throughout scripture we are commanded to follow Christ, seeking to live our lives like Jesus. Paul Himself says “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). I believe that as Christians we should make it a priority to look like Jesus. However, I think there is a difference between looking like Christ, and trying to become a clone of Him. We have all been given different gifts and abilities from God our creator, and just as each artist brings a different perspective to their work of art, so each of us reflects Christ to the world around us in different ways. 

                Sometimes I wonder if we focus too much on restricting and discipling ourselves to become more Christlike, that we actually limit our own personalities and differences out of an effort to reflect the rules and lists of to-do’s and not to-do’s that Christianity has adapted. Sometimes we limit our own expression of who God is and what Christ means to the world by trying to follow a strict guide with no breathing room.  Instead, I wonder if we would experience a much more authentic relationship with God, others, and ourselves if we used our own personalities and gifts to reveal Christ to the world.  

                 Basically, I think we are called to not simply copy Christ, but rather to emulate Him. This means to take His example, learn from it, and then make it our own. We need to understand the truths He revealed to us through His life, death, and resurrection, and express these things to others in a way that we do it best. For some, this might be through dance, others, through preaching, others through counseling, and so on. 

                Our purpose as created beings is to use our gifts to shine as beacons of light that reflect the hope we have through our savior. As author Erwin McManus writes, “Every human being is brimming with divine potential. Every one of us is born with an artisan soul” (181). I encourage you to not simply strive to copy an example, but to take Jesus’ story and emulate it through the creativity that only you can bring. 

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McManus, Erwin Raphael.  2014. The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life Into a Work of Art. New York: Harper Collins.