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Written by Claudia Malaquias, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Minas Gerais, Brazil
There is a fable about two donkeys who were walking to make deliveries, one with a load of sugar, and the other with a load of sponges. After walking for a while, they came across a fast-flowing river.
The donkey with the load of sponges said, “How will we cross? What if the river takes us?”
To which the other responded, “Nothing is going to happen! Follow me and you will see that we are safe.”
As he entered the river, his load of sugar dissolved and, becoming lighter, made the crossing easier. “What did I tell you? Now follow my example and come!”
But, to no surprise, as the other donkey entered the river, the load of sponges swelled with the water, became much heavier, and the current carried the poor animal away.
It is human nature to seek to belong to a group and to do so we often succumb to social influences, which experts call conformism: the passive acceptance of norms, rules, customs, and ideas that shape behavior without any reflection on our part. Therefore, following others without due diligence can result in serious consequences!
When I was first converted, still inexperienced in the Word, I tried to join one of the women's small groups in my congregation just by observing how they presented themselves. Following human instincts, I chose a lively, talkative group that was well-informed about everything that was happening in the church.
However, with time and maturity, I realized that the spiritual fruits that I needed to grow were not really being practiced there. The apostle Paul’s phrase: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1Co 11:1 NIV) is an invitation to imitate him, who clearly reflected our Lord, Christ Jesus, the perfection of love and sacrifice, while at the same time warning us to keep company with those whose choices are guided by God’s will.
At each step of our journey in the Kingdom, we need to direct ourselves to imitate those who have already matured in faith—people who show in their lives the fruits of the Spirit that we may still need to polish in our lives. In this way, little by little, we too will be an example for other brothers and sisters.
Paul felt confident in inviting others to become disciples of Christ by following his example. Do we have the same courage?
Knowing the Scriptures, developing intimacy with God through prayer, meditating on the life of Christ, and obeying His commandments are important for deepening our faith and communion with the Holy Spirit. With these practices as the load we carry, we will be an example for others, and it will become easier to discern good examples for us to follow as well.
In the fable of the donkeys, the mistake was to imitate without considering the load of each one. Sometimes that can be our mistake, too. May we seek our spiritual growth each day through the imitation of those who truly practice the example of Christ.
Written by Michelle J. Goff, Founder and Executive Director of Iron Rose Sister Ministries
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (1Co 11:1 NIV)
Immediately after college graduation, my parents and I caravaned me straight to Atlanta, Georgia, where I was going to work as an assistant to the Director of Missions, Bob Brown, longtime missionary in Venezuela. I had interned under him for a summer two years prior and had already begun to travel extensively with him and others to Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, and even Kazakhstan.
I began to make many of those trips on my own, speaking at ladies’ conferences, supporting new church plants, serving through evangelistic campaigns, counseling at youth camps and teaching a class to the young women. Amongst the local Kingdom workers, I was known as Michelle “secretaria de Bob” (Bob’s secretary). The moniker became my last name or primary identifier.
After a year and a half working together in Atlanta, Bob and his family decided to accept the invitation of a small group in Denver, Colorado, to collaborate in a church plant in the southern part of the city (Highlands Ranch). Additionally, the goal was to establish a Spanish-speaking congregation in the area. Over 33% of the population was Hispanic, yet there were no churches of Christ in the entire metropolitan area.
I was invited to join the team that was forming to meet those Kingdom needs in Denver. But I was torn. I had also been invited to take over the job Bob would be vacating as Director of Missions. And at the same time, I was offered the opportunity for full support for 3-5 years during which I would serve as a missionary in Venezuela, in the city of my choice.
Aaaaahhhhh, what should I do?! You can imagine the sleepless nights of wrestling in prayer and indecision. I also sought wise counsel regarding this weighty decision that I felt would alter the course of my entire life.
Naturally, I asked my mentor and boss for his advice. One of my arguments for not going to Denver was that I didn’t want people to say that I was following Bob… “Oh, of course she moved to Denver. She’s just following Bob.” His response to my fear, “So what if they say you are following me? What’s the problem?”
“I shouldn’t follow a man! I should only, ever follow Christ!” (Yes, I know my rebuttal might’ve been different if I were married…)
“Go read 1 Corinthians 11:1.”
“I’ve read it, and I have a problem with it!” (A previous translation I was referencing mentally was “Follow me, as I follow Christ.”)
“Then I think you need to go meditate on that verse.”
“Ugh!”
I can recall that conversation and my level of frustration as if it had happened yesterday. What I also remember is the time that I did spend meditating on that verse. In my immature interpretation, I was focused on a frustration with following Paul or anyone that was not Christ Himself. Through prayer and meditation on 1 Corinthians 11:1, God revealed the importance of the 2nd phrase, “as I follow Christ.”
The Lord, through Paul, did not call us to follow others blindly, indiscriminately, or naively. God calls us to follow Christ and walk in His steps (1Pe 2:21). But God has also provided us imperfect examples, other Christ followers, from whom we can learn and grow.
If someone sins, I should not follow them into sin. Yet if someone shows repentance, turns from their sin, and follows Christ in their steps toward accepting the grace and mercy God offers, I should follow in their steps of repentance in whatever area that applies to me.
Follow me, as I follow Christ. “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1Co 11:1). I pray that we can all say those words and declare ourselves faithful Christ followers who imperfectly navigate walking in the light as He is in the light (1Jn 1:7).
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. (1Jn 1:5-10)
Who are you following today?
Who is looking to you as their example of how to follow Christ?
