2 Apr
The Great Imitators
I remember a church camp I attended a couple of years back. The theme was two Greek words I was not familiar with: Phroneo Christou. Together these words mean “the attitude of Christ.” Through study of the Gospels we are able to see images of Christ’s attitude as He interacted with His followers and those who were in opposition to His teachings. We are able to walk through His trials and temptations and have the privilege of learning from His actions and reactions. Ephesians 4:22-24 commands us to “put off [our] old self” and “be made new in the attitude of [our] minds…created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” The first verse of chapter five directly commands us to “Be imitators of God, therefore, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us…” As Paul tells us in Philippians, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.”
I struggle with laying down my will. Crucifying my own desires is not something that comes naturally for me. It takes prayer and intentional humility to lay down my own desires and let God reveal to me His intentions. Recently I have dealt with disappointment as my will apparently did not coincide with God’s will. I felt strongly that God was leading me to a college six hours away from home. I flew up there for a long weekend and absolutely fell in love with the campus, the professors, and the wonderful girls I met on my journey. It was perfect in my heart’s eyes. Nothing could beat this school! The time came for a second visit to meet with financial aid. This time I did not leave the school with soaring spirits; from our meeting it was clear that the resources it would take to get me to my dream school were simply not available.
The six hour drive home seemed to last for years. Tears welled up in my eyes and disappointment welled up in my heart. “Why, God?” I asked. I had no intentions of pursuing the school but it seemed to me like God had opened so many doors. I was confused, hurt, and angry and felt so misdirected. “Why did you show me this school only to open me up to disappointment?” My thoughts were selfish and did not reflect Christ’s intentions or a trust in Him but merely my own desires.
As I reflect on the church camp a couple years ago and examine Scripture, I realize that I must lay down and die to myself and imitate Christ in His perfect ways. Only then will I fully know and appreciate His plan for my life. As I read the Scriptures that talk about imitating Christ and living with His attitude, I can’t help but tie in another favorite scripture. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…” (Jeremiah 29:11). We cannot merely examine the Scripture telling us to imitate Christ without also taking this promise into account. Our efforts and struggle to die to ourselves will not go unnoticed; God will honor us by allowing us to prosper and by blessing us immensely.
Today as I stand in a waiting period of becoming aware of God’s further plans for me, I know that He had a reason for me to even visit the campus of that distant college. Already a miraculous occurrence unrelated to my personal interest in the university has come out of an interaction we had during our stay. God is not a single-minded God; He can multi-task and uses His children to accomplish His tasks. We must honor Him by being imitators of Him and carrying out His perfect will by living day-to-day with the blameless attitude of Christ.
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About the Author
Sarah is a freshman at Belmont University where she is studying journalism and theater. She can be found snuggling up with a good book, discovering new music, riding in her car with the windows down (singing at the top of her lungs) and playing guitar on her front porch. She also enjoys writing music and lyrics. Her passions for traveling, ministry, and fighting social injustice foreshadow an exciting journalism career post-college. In the meantime, she hopes to go skydiving, take a stunt driving course, and go backpacking in the Rockies all while living a life that points others to her beautiful Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Sarah can be contacted via email at vagabond99@live.com.
