Coming to God as a Child (Part 5): Mimics

By David Ryser

Somewhere there is a picture of me taken when I was a small child.  In the picture, I am wearing grown-up clothes.  And I look ridiculous.  In part this is due to the fact that the clothing is way too big for me.  And in part it is because I am wearing one of my grandmother’s old dresses!

That picture could be worth a lot of money if it fell into the wrong hands.  And if I had any money.

The point that I’m making is that small children love to play dress-up.  What parent has not been amused by their young child clomping around in their shoes or putting on an article of their clothing?  It’s not just that the child wants to look grown up.  The child wants to be like the parent.

And this desire is expressed in ways other than in the choice of fashion wear.

Children also copy the mannerisms of their parents.  Gestures and speech patterns, along with attitudes and behaviors, are picked up by children.  Every parent has experienced the discomfort of hearing the child say something that sounded clever when the parent said it, but doesn’t sound so funny when a three-year-old says it.

And sooner or later, every parent is faced with the truth that children do not grow up to be what you taught them to be.  They grow up to be what you are.

Why?  Because all children are mimics.

In Matthew 18:3, Jesus tells His disciples that all who enter the kingdom of Heaven must become as a little child.  In Ephesians 5:1, Paul encourages believers to be imitators of God as beloved children.  The Greek word translated “imitators” (or “followers” in the KJV) is μιμήτής, and is where we get our English word “mimic.”

We are called to be mimics of God.

How can we mimic someone we do not know intimately?  How can we imitate someone we are not around?  How can we copy someone if we cannot see or hear them?

We can’t.

If we are going to be imitators of God, we must find a way to be in His presence.  To see what He is doing…and how He does it.  To hear what He is saying.  And we need to be in an intimate relationship with Him so we can know His heart.

This is easier said then done.

A pastor friend of mine has determined that until God tells him otherwise, he is going to spend all of his Bible reading time in what he calls the “red print.”  His reading of the scriptures will be restricted to the four Gospels, with an emphasis upon the words of Jesus.  He wants to focus on what Jesus did and said.  As the Holy Spirit breathes life into the words on the page, my friend believes he will come to know Jesus more.  And the better he knows Jesus, the more able he will be to mimic Him.

It sounds like a good plan to me.

You see, having entered into the Kingdom of Heaven as little children, we begin to grow in the knowledge of God.  All good parents desire for their children to grow up and become responsible adults.  That little one clomping around in your shoes today will someday grow into them.

A friend once shared with me a vision she had concerning me.  She saw me as a little child with big shoes.  She said they looked like oversized clown shoes on me.  They were much too big for me.  I was having trouble just walking around in them.  As she was considering this odd sight, and wondering what would become of me, God spoke to her.  He said, “He will grow into them.”

I didn’t much appreciate it when she shared it with me.  But I’ve not forgotten it.

So although we enter the Kingdom of Heaven as children and maintain a childlike trust in our heavenly Father, His desire is that we grow in our knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:15-21; 3:14-19, among others).  He wants us to grow into the “shoes” He has prepared for us.  He wants us to become and do what we were created to be and do (Ephesians 2:10).

He wants us to be mimics of Him.

God desires that we talk like Him, act like Him, and love like Him.  We are the only Bible some people will ever read.  We are the only Jesus some people will ever see.  When people observe us and get to know us, will this experience give them any inkling of what God is really like?

Maybe.  It depends.  How good of a mimic are you?  As good as a six-year-old?

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com