The Echo Game

Bible Reading: 3 John 1:9-12

Carly sat on the couch, flipping through the channels on TV. She came to a popular teen show and put down the remote. Just then her little sister, Hailey, flopped down next to her.

“Want to play the echo game?” Hailey asked.

“What’s the echo game?” Carly asked.

Hailey smiled. “What’s the echo game?”

Carly looked at her sister and rolled her eyes. “Very funny, you can stop that now.”

Hailey rolled eyes. “Very funny, you can stop that now.”

“Mom, can you come help me please?” Carly called to her mother, who was in the other room. Hailey did the same, and soon Mom came to the living room to see what was going on.

“Mom, Hailey’s repeating everything I say and won’t stop,” Carly said.

“Mom, Hailey’s repeating everything…” Hailey stopped speaking when she saw her mother’s stern stare.

“Hailey, I think it’s time for you to start your homework.” After Hailey left, Mom sat down on the couch and watched the end of Carly’s show with her. When the show ended, Carly turned the TV off.

“Interesting show,” said Mom. “Those girls sure do lie to their parents a lot.”

“I guess I never really thought about it before,” said Carly, “but yeah, they often get into trouble and then lie about it.”

“Why do you think this show is so popular?” asked Mom.

“Well, the girls on the show are cool and have nice clothes and lots of friends, and I suppose people want to be like them.”

“Hmm,” said Mom. “Do you want to be like them?”

Carly shrugged. “I guess I’ve sometimes thought that if I acted more like them I’d be more popular. But they got that way by lying and hurting other people, and that’s not what I want to be like at all.”

Mom nodded. “We often try to imitate people we admire and want to be like—which is how I know your sister admires you a lot! But as Christians, there’s only one Person we should imitate—Jesus. It’s okay to follow other people’s examples as long as what they do is in line with who Jesus wants you to be. In everything you do, imitate Him.”

– Melissa Yeagle

How About You?

Do you ever try to imitate what other people do? Maybe you have an older sister or brother you want to be like, or you admire a famous person and want to do what they do. It’s okay to look up to others and learn from them, but make sure the examples you follow are ones that fit with who you are in Jesus. Echo Him in everything you do.

Today’s Key Verse:
3 John 1:11 Do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Imitate Jesus