An Imitator

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 2:21-24

“Mom, tell Elijah to stop,” Bri said as she came into the kitchen with her little brother following her.

“Elijah, are you teasing your sister again?” Mom asked.

“No,” Elijah said with his thumb in his mouth.

“He is too! Every time I move, he moves the same way I do. He repeats almost everything I say too. I can’t do anything without having him copy me. It’s so annoying!”

“Elijah, please don’t do things that annoy your sister,” Mom said. “Why don’t you go play with your toys for a while?” She turned to Bri as Elijah left the room. “I’m sorry, honey. Little brothers do things like that sometimes. But I don’t think he was trying to annoy you.”

“Yes, he was!” said Bri.

Mom smiled. “Okay, maybe he was, but I also think imitating you shows that he loves you and wants to be like you.”

“He does?” Bri asked.

Mom nodded. “Did you know there’s someone who wants us to imitate Him?”

“Who?” Bri asked incredulously. She couldn’t imagine who that could be. “Dad?”

“No, not Dad. Jesus,” Mom told her.

“Oh,” said Bri. “I guess that makes sense. He wants us to treat others the way He did.”

“Right,” said Mom. “He saved us from sin and set an example for us to follow, and He gave us the Holy Spirit, who works in our hearts to make us more like Him.” Mom smiled at Bri. “Why don’t you read about Jesus in the Bible—the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John would be a good place to start—and see how Jesus responded to people and what He said about things. Note the various qualities you see in Him.”

“Well…okay,” said Bri. “But I already know some of His qualities the Bible talks about. Like…He’s forgiving. He forgives us for our wrongs, and He says we should forgive each other.”

“Yes!” said Mom. “That’s one trait we all have to trust Him to help us with sometimes.”

“I thought of another trait of His I can copy right now,” Bri said with a grin. “Jesus loves little children, so I’m going to go play with Elijah!”

-Jacqueline J. Leaycraft

How About You?

Do you have a younger sibling who likes to imitate you? Do you find it annoying? You may not like it when others copy what you say and do, but there’s one person who wants all of us to imitate Him—Jesus! Do you follow His example in the way you treat others? He is kind, patient, and forgiving toward you, and He’s given you His Holy Spirit to make you more like Him. Imitate Him in all you do.

Today’s Key Verse:
John 13:15 I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Imitate Jesus