Did you ever play “Copy Cat” as a child? Copy Cat is a game where you do exactly what someone else does up to and including facial expressions. My brother’s used to copy me to just to irritate me. They would mimic everything I did until I finally screamed loud enough to get my parents’ attention to make them stop. It was only fun for them. It drove me nuts.
Copy Cat doesn’t always have to be irritating. In fact, it can be fun when it is being played as a game between friends. When you are playing the game of Copy Cat, you want the other person to copy your every move. It is the purpose of the game.
It is God’s desire that we copy Jesus. In Ephesians 5:1 we are told to be imitators of God. We are to line our lives up with His so that all we do and say point to Him. This is not a game to God. It is a matter of life and death. As we imitate Jesus in the way we live our lives, others are drawn to Him. When we live our lives as Jesus calls us to, the Father is glorified [Matthew5:16, 1 Peter 2:12] and the whole purpose of our lives is to bring glory to God.
When you play Copy Cat, inevitably the person trying to copy you messes up, so they have to start over trying to copy again. God knows we won’t always get it right when it comes to being like Jesus. When we mess up, He doesn’t throw His hands in the air and declare He’s done with us. There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus [Romans 8:1]. Jesus loves you and He knows you aren’t perfect. He knows you’ll mess up from time to time. When it happens, He won’t leave you in the mess. When you reach out to Him, He will help you up, clean you off and get you back on track [Psalm 40:2, 1 John 1:9].
The easiest way to win at a game of Copy Cat is to play it with someone you know well, because you can anticipate their actions. If you’ve spent a lot of time with them, you know what they are going to do before they do it. The same is true with Jesus. If you truly want to be an imitator of Christ, then spend time with Him. Get to know Him well so you can anticipate His every move. You do this by meeting with Him daily through prayer and the study of His Word. As you learn more about Him and His character, you will be able to imitate Him more accurately and then you will win in the game of life.