¹Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Earlier this semester I attended a chapel service at my school. I was very hungry and did not really want to go because I didn’t think I could focus, but our God is too good. What He revealed through the man who was speaking was incredible and definitely filled me in a way food never could. With that, I felt it was only necessary to share this insight with all of you.

The speaker focused on imitation. How we as humans are imitators by nature. We are designed to follow. Yes, we can lead certain things, and some have a greater gift in that than others, nevertheless, we all were crafted to be fulfilled by following the Lord. This idea is remarkable.

So often, we see people claim “that is just how I am” as they act in a certain way. Although subject to change, many of our habits or ways of reacting are results of us naturally imitating our parents, guardians, or other important people who were involved in our development. It is incredible that we are so susceptible to imitating those around us, that even if we wish to be nothing like our parents or guardians, we either still pick up those traits and characteristics, or we build our life around dodging them.

How crazy is it that a simple natural response in a human can shape their lives in a variety of ways. But do you know what is even crazier? Our God knew exactly how He designed us, and knowing that we desire power because of sin, He does not feed into that, instead, He leads us back to the root of our blueprint. He calls us to imitate. Imitate whom? Jesus.

Imitation in itself is not a sin. In fact, it is the only way to become a genuine ambassador for Christ. However, when one directs their focus on someone other than Jesus, it leads to idolatry.

Let’s be real for a quick second: It is EXTREMELY easy to want to imitate others. Whether it be for fame, for success, or simply for productivity. YouTube currently is filled with loads of “productive daily routines”, “what to do to become a pro athlete”, “What to focus on when seeking success”, and so on. Social media is flooded with influencers and celebrities seeking people willing to follow them. Shaping the infamous lives to reflect those who are. But this is all wrong.

I believe in this generation, we have become so desperate for leadership from people who have already found success so that we do not have to make the same mistakes many others have in the past. Honestly, dodging mistakes and things bound to fail doesn’t sound so bad, right? Frankly, it isn’t. To clear things up, there is nothing necessarily wrong with watching these “how to” videos, or making a daily routine similar to what you saw on a popular YouTube channel. In fact, I’d be a hypocrite to say I don’t do that. My YouTube history coming into this year is a very, very, VERY long list of “productive 6am routines” or “How to balance school, work, and God”.

There is nothing wrong with letting influencers inspire you. But let that be all they do. Inspiration and encouragement is what we should be giving to others, and it is very helpful when we receive it ourselves. However, the moment you allow these digital creators, athletic influencers, or business leaders become more influential than THE Creator, we lose sight of our purpose.

We are called to glorify God in ALL that we do. When pursuing this, the best “How to” resource for learning what we should and should not implement in our lives is none other than the Bible. Breathed and inspired by the Lord Himself.