"Many often applaud an imitation and hiss the real thing" - Aesop. When I was a kid I wanted to be three things when I grew up: a professional American football player, a brave, elite soldier, and a race car driver. My heroes were the U.S film actor and Hollywood icon, John Wayne, a quarterback with the Minnesota Vikings, Joe Kapp, and race car drivers like Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt.
I went on to play semi-professional football as a wide receiver and a flanker, became an elite paratrooper/infantryman in the U.S. Army, and drove race cars for a few years. But I wasn't nearly as successful as my heroes.
As kids we played football on the streets, in schools and played rough. Whether it was under the California sun or on a rain-soaked, muddy field, we always played with reckless abandon.
In like manner, I imitated John Wayne. I fought the neighborhood bullies who poked fun at my deaf and blind sister when I had to, performed dangerous stunts, and tackled obstacles with hardly a thought of the risk involved.
In the military I jumped out of perfectly good airplanes, earned medals for extraordinary accomplishments and was battle ready at all times. And when driving dirt track race cars I sometimes drove without brakes at 160 k.p.h.
Imitation
Over the past 12 plus years here in the #Philipines, I have noticed an exceptionally high degree of imitation among the population. For example, when someone is successful in business, people simply copy the format, even to the point that their business is next to the one they copied. We often see this in the town markets with almost identical stalls.
And people like to imitate the manners and looks of Koreans, their favorite celebrities, singers, dancers and other people they admire. It's natural. Each of us observes something in others which makes us want to be more like them.
The missing ingredient
As much as we want to imitate others, the majority of us lack a most important ingredient: innovation. We obtain the information about those we admire, and then imitate them to a certain degree. But rarely, if ever, do we take the next necessary step and innovate, that is, the introduction of new things or methods.
Perhaps when we desire to switch from imitating someone and imitate another instead, is because we have not only failed to innovate and grow, but because we did not persevere.
Imitate Him
I do my best to imitate Jesus. He and the writers of the 26 New Testament books clearly stated that one must be a disciple, that is, a person who picks up his/her cross daily, lives with a new life in Christ, and follows His commands. It's not a bowl of cherries kind of life, but requires discipline, hard work and and the wherewithal to be joyous in every situation.
But back to the Aesop quote: "Many often applaud an imitation and hiss the real thing"
People hiss at the name of Jesus and instead applaud His imitators: preachers, teachers, false prophets, leaders of the blind, satanic personalities, seers, witch doctors, practitioners of the magic arts. idols and others. Beloved friends, this should not be so.
Scripture reminders
Even Peter, one of the more heady, stubborn, impetuous persons who preached the good news of the gospel, wrote: "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21, NIV).
And the Apostle Paul wrote: "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV).
And, "Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:1-2, NIV).
Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29, NIV).
Encouragement
There is certainly nothing wrong with the art of imitation. But we have to innovate (change) and persevere.
And who better to imitate than Christ Jesus, the perfect example? Will movie stars, celebrities, and others offer you peace and rest for your souls? Will false prophets, fortune tellers, demonic spirits, superstitions, traditions and idols benefit your life?
Call on the Name of Jesus and be imitators of He who saves to the uttermost.
Every man or woman is an imitator, imitation by ignorance or by knowledge but what matter now is for a personality or a believer to recognise and identify the true person that he or she needs to imiate which is Christ jesus not the preacher or the teacher but Christ alone