Our granddaughter Cecilia is beginning to talk. She can carry on short conversations with us, but isn’t ready for anything lengthy. There’s a lot of parroting going on. She repeats what she hears with an air of confidence that makes us think she understands every word she has just repeated. If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, Cecilia is extremely flattered with everyone around her!
I’m a little disappointed . She’s moving from pioneering conversations to conversations that are, to a great extent, borrowed from the people around her. Yes, I know that’s the way it’s been since the beginning of time. It’s central to our nature as human beings. When toddlers babble they are simply trying to repeat what they don’t quite know how to say yet. They don’t let that hold them back, they go ahead and talk anyway. I will miss my “conversations” with Cecilia, as I have with all our kids and grandkids, in which they bravely go into the world of conversation, whether they speak real words or toddler words.
It’s also central to our nature as disciples of, and for, Jesus to learn how to live and speak by imitating. We are called to be “imitators” of Christ. Jesus wants us to have the best of both worlds: 1) Be imitators of Him. 2) Be faith pioneers in the world.
So what does this mean? First off, I dare you to read the New Testament this summer. Read it and learn what it means to truly be an imitator of Jesus, rather than simply an imitator of other Christians. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but Jesus first always!) Secondly, pray and dream about how you can be a faith pioneer. When was the last time you “babbled” about Jesus?
What do I mean? You read the New Testament. You pray. You figure it out. You will make a positive difference in the world around you ! Refocus on discipleship.
