M is for Mimicking

I was at the zoo for a day before the pandemic arrived. There were only a handful of people present when the gates opened at 8 a.m. We could hear the sounds of animals screeching, howling and whistling. Once inside and with our picnic basket in hand, my friend and I found a suitable place to set our things down before exploring the grounds. We had planned to make a day of it, take plenty of pictures, and enjoy the fresh air of the outdoors.

Cages

Workers were cleaning out the the cages with a hose as we passed by the pythons. A zookeeper was feeding some meat to a rather large snake. While I am not afraid of snakes, I do not particularly care for them, so we breezed on by to another enclosure where a pair of giraffes stood nibbling on some leaves.

My friend remarked that it was a shame to see such beautiful creatures confined for the rest of their lives and with such little space to roam. I agreed with her but noted that we and others would not be able to see exotic animals were it not for a zoo. Besides, they looked well fed. If only we knew what they were thinking!

Snacks

The morning air was brisk so we decided to grab a cup of coffee and a pastry before heading over to visit another exhibit. The employee was not very accommodating, preferring instead to apply her makeup while chatting on her smartphone.

With a steamy cup of java and a cinnamon roll, we planned our route for the day with a map the zoo had provided. Unable to reach a consensus, we finally concluded we would simply wing it and let our feet follow our eyes wherever they led us. We soon found ourselves at the monkey enclosure where considerable chattering was ongoing, perhaps as a result of waiting for their breakfast.

Monkeys

We were the only ones at the monkey enclosure since it was still early. It was divided into three sections: chimpanzees, capuchins and squirrel monkeys. In a lone cage was an orangoutang with a t-shirt on.

We sat on a bench to take some pictures, first with our Canon DXLR and subsequently with our smartphones. Grace called out to a chimp sitting alone. "Hi, Cheetah!' She waved at the relatively small creature. To our surprise it waved back at us and we giggled like school girls.

We waved again and the chimpanzee waved back. I did the gorilla thing, beating my chest, and the chimp did likewise. Grace looked away and spit out a piece of her pastry. The primate mimicked her and also spit. Several gestures were directed at the chimp who mirrored them.

Finally, we touched our noses and the chimp did the same. Was the monkey intelligent or good at mimicking?

Life

The day we spent at the zoo reminded me that life is one big series of mimicking. We copy what others do, say, and absorb knowledge and other information from our respective cultures.

We are like animals in a cage, too. While free to do as we will, we often imprison ourselves by taking our freedoms to their extremes.

The world traps us if we allow it to do so. We cannot be free in the worldly system replete with its vices.

We are admonished: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.(1 John 2:15-17, ESV).

Things to ponder

What is the will of God? To pursue holiness and imitate Jesus.

And inasmuch as life is one of mimicking, what or who shall we mimic? As for me and my house, we will continue to mimic the life of the risen Lord Jesus. Yes, we will stumble and sin at times, much to our chagrin. But we will press on and finish the race which is our calling.

What do you mimic? Your friends? The world? Decide for yourself whom you will choose to mimic. Choose to make a choice for Jesus.