Who do I look like?
I am a copy-cat. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been copying someone… always someone that I admire and want to be like. My big sister was one of the first that I wanted to be like – I constantly borrowed her clothes, used her stuff, imitated her hairstyles, played the same sports, chose the same glasses frames, attempted the same hairstyles, listened to the same music, etc. There were at least two problems: We don’t look alike (she is short with dark hair and green eyes, I am tall with blonde hair and blue eyes) and I annoyed her horribly. They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery but she didn’t seem to catch the compliment.
My copy-cat tendencies didn’t stop there. I had a best friend in middle school who influenced me to love the boy-band “New Kids on the Block” (John was my favorite), wear “Great Lash” mascara (still wearing it 25 years later!), flirt with boys (embarrassing attempts), and basically be a typical teenage girl. I tried to copy the 90’s rock star “Roxette,” by cutting my hair (yikes!), attempted to rap like Bobby Brown (what?!), dance like Janet Jackson (I wish!), dress like Grace Kelly (tragedy!)… phew! So many people to copy, so little success!
Obviously, I desire to look like someone besides myself. True, I could delve into the deep psychological reasons of why I’m not content to “be myself,” and attempt to find peace and self-discovery, yadda, yadda, yadda. This would be a huge, exhausting battle to me that doesn’t need to be fought. Being a copy-cat is a good thing if I know Who to copy!
From my beginning, I was created to look like God. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created mankind in His own Image, in the Image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” That’s me! That’s you! The Father used Himself as the model for making us, sent Jesus to be the perfect example for us, and gave the Holy Spirit to empower us to be like Him.
Romans 8:29 says, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
From the beginning of time, God planned to make me like my big Brother, Jesus. I get to copy Jesus and He likes it. He shows me the way I should look, act, and be. When I mess up, He makes it better. He is proud of my attempts and is never embarrassed to have me follow Him around. He promised to never leave me or forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6). I don’t have weird self-esteem problems when I’m copying Him. I was made to copy Him. I want to look like Jesus.
-Betsy