Encouragement

I Followed You All The Way

by Maria Franco
07/07/16
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There is a greater tendency in life to imitate others specially the ones whom we adore or admire and look up to. They maybe great personalities, famous singers or popular celebrities. We like to follow in their footsteps by aping their mannerisms and renowned signature moves.
We do so because we consider them as superstars and any form of art adapted by them we are keen to follow and make our own.
Sometimes we are so caught up in this mania that we forget that we ought to imitate and worship only the One True God.
What does it mean to imitate Christ?
To imitate Christ is to adorn ourselves with the very virtues that Christ preached. Love, Faith, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Humility, Peace, Joy, Kindness, Justice and Sacrifice.

Children have a higher probability of imitating their parents, elders and teachers. They imitate their style, body language and ways of communicating with others.
A young girl once came up to her mother with two apples, one in each hand. The mother was touched at her daughter's offering. However, the girl immediately first bit into one apple and then the second. Her mother's face fell in disappointment. She felt her daughter was not keen on sharing the fruit with her. But before she could collect her thoughts, her daughter soon offered the second apple to her saying that this one was sweeter than the other and she first wanted to check which of the two was sweeter to offer to her mother the best.
The mother felt bad that she had misjudged her child when in reality her intentions were pure and from the heart.
How often in life we too are hasty in forming our own prejudiced opinions instead of waiting until the end to analyse the whole situation.
If only we could imitate the actions of this little girl with her innocent mind.

When we love someone, we follow every action of theirs. We are mesmerised by the way they talk, walk, smile and look at us.
We would love to walk with them on a long and never ending walk of life. To follow their every move all the way.

There is a story of a young woman who was forced to marry the husband of her elder sister when her sister dies after giving birth to twins. The woman has no choice but to give in to her parents demands to bring up the small tiny tots.
She does this with the true dedication of a real mother. Her sister's husband who is now her very own husband cannot get over the death of his first wife and ignores his new wife completely.
The woman tries her best to help him overcome his grief and win his love and attention but fails to do so. So she thinks of a new strategy. She changes her style of appearance and dressing in keeping with the way her sister used to deck herself. She imitates her manners and celebration trends of holding parties and events just the way her sister had done in the past.
She is now hopeful that she will attract her husband towards herself as he may see his first wife in her and be drawn to her.
However one day to her utter amazement, the husband tells her that there is no need for her to imitate her sister who has gone forever. Her style was a part of her life being which has now become a memory.
The young woman was beautiful in her own way with lovely qualities of her heart and soul. She had her own uniqueness which was hers alone and shone brightly through. She should only manifest her own true self which was the best. He also apologises to her for not giving her the due place of his wife even after she had sacrificed her own dreams and ambitions to handle her sister's home and children. He promises on that day to be a loving husband to her.

I think this is the way we all should be. Retain our own style and signature step the way God created us. There is no need to imitate anyone else except Christ.
We should follow him all the way from earth right upto heaven.
Yes we can seek guidance from the lives of Saints who again spent their lives following Christ. They knew that Christ was the Key to their life membership in heaven.
He is the Way, The Truth and the Life. No one can go to the Father except through him.

St. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:1;"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."
Also in 1 Corinthians 11:1; " You are to imitate me just as I imitate Christ."
Again in 1 Thessalonians 1:6;" You became imitators of us and of the Lord for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit."
When Jesus washed the feet of his disciples he instructed them; " I have set you an example so that you should do as I have done to you."
We also read in 1 John 2: 6; "Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked. "
Philippians 4:9; "Whatever you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, put these things into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

After the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, his disciples toiled day and night to spread the values which Christ taught them and save mankind from their sins.
They urged the people to follow in the footsteps of Christ, to imitate Him; heart, mind and soul until the day they began their ascent up the steps of heaven.

May our prayer also be; " Lord help us to follow you all the way, not just today or tomorrow but on every other day of our life. To imitate you and no other. To be joined in your spirit so that others see You in us. Also help us to seek you in the lost brethren and bring them back to your heavenly fold."

Maria Franco