Several years ago, my church held a Good Friday service in which I had a small part. I played one of the women who accompanied Mary Magdalene on Palm Sunday. The three of us joyfully walked the aisle, waving palm branches back and forth. I wore a long red gown and a wide piece of cloth covering my head and hair for my costume.
As I exited during one of the performances, I noticed a small pair of eyes watching me. “Hi, Joshua,” I greeted the young boy. “It’s me, Darlene.” Since I wasn’t wearing my glasses, I didn’t think he recognized me. He said nothing but walked shyly past. His mother smiled.
A few weeks passed, and one Sunday at church I noticed him watching me again. “Hi, Joshua,” I said brightly. He ducked under his mother’s arm with a shy smile.
“He talks about you every day,” his mother informed me.
Surprised, I replied, “He doesn’t even really know me.”
“Remember, he saw you in costume at the Good Friday service,” she said. “Now, every day, he puts a towel over his head and says, ‘I wanna be like Darlene.’”
I laughed. But I was grateful he watched while I was doing something good, not something I’d be ashamed of. One moment, caught in time and remembered repeatedly in a small boy’s mind.
The word imitate is translated as mimic. Paul invited his readers to imitate him as he also imitated Christ. Not many of us would be so bold.
Imitating Christ is mimicking Him and taking on the same heart attitude. Love as Christ loved. Hate sin the way God hates sin. Remember, someone watches us. Whether we see just one other person a day—or three or three hundred—their eyes might be on us.
We may be the only Jesus some ever see. His love shines through us. We, in turn, must look to Jesus because we can only be a godly example by following God’s example. By keeping our eyes on Him, we take them off ourselves.
How can you be someone who doesn’t mind being watched?
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and Pexels.)
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Writing has been Darlene’s passion since childhood, but as life (including a full-time job) and other priorities bullied their way, writing was forced to take a back seat in her life. Attending Cascade Christian Writers’ conferences has given her a giant BOOST for jumping back into the front seat of the writing world. She primarily writes inspirational romance and mystery but very much enjoys interviews as well. In 2023, Winged Publications published four of her fiction books, which are available on Amazon. She is currently working on memoirs for ABWE missionaries and is very happy to be a part of the Christian Devotions family.