Tip of My Iceberg

Living in Florida, you never need to be reminded to drink more water. With the high heat and humidity comes the need to replenish the fluid seeping out of our bodies. Drinking water is a way of life.

With a nod to the environment, fewer people are resorting to bottled water and are opting for fancy reusable water containers to carry around. My kids use them; even Kolly at two has one of her own. Mostly because she kept drinking from her mom’s and backwashing into it.

I finally got one of those fancy water containers–and I happened to pick out the same color as Kolly’s. She saw me drinking from one container very similar to hers, ran to me with an attitude, and declared, “Kolly’s water.”

It took a bit to show her that we both had one, mine a bit bigger than hers. When she realized we matched, she grinned.

Just like Nana.

We call people who impact others with style, products, attitude, or actions influencers. This is nothing new–it is human nature to watch how others live and determine if we want to mimic their behavior or attitudes. The playwright, Oscar Wilde, once said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” Those who have confidence in themselves have no problem acting how they believe to be best; those less confident, less competent, will imitate what they see to be desirable.

One of the most obvious influencers today is Taylor Swift. I have grands who are true Swifties, who know her songs, who imitate her moves as they sing, who try and look like her in their outfits. They’ll never be singers like she is, but to mimic her style is reflective of how her music has influenced them.

In the Bible, there are many influencers, Jesus being the most obvious. He came acting in a way that was unexpected and unappreciated by the religious leaders. His impact and influence continues to grow over 2,000 years later.

One story that has always captured my imagination is the story about three young men who had been carried into captivity with the rest of the Jewish nation to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar held Jerusalem under siege for two years and finally conquered the Jews in 586 BC, destroying much of the city, including the temple of Solomon. Several young men from royal families were brought to the king, men of great intellect and skill. For three years they were trained to become Babylonians–to look and act like true Babylonians. They were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all of who were renamed to honor their new home–Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Nebuchadnezzar created a ninety–foot gold statue of himself that people were supposed to bow down to when certain music was played. These men refused to do so; they were faithful to their God and would not bow to idols. The penalty for non-compliance was being burned to death in a huge furnace.

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were discovered not following the order, Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter. When confronted, the three men said, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. he will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if He doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” Daniel 3: 16-18

These men were thrown into the furnace and yet never burned. When the king looked into the furnace, he saw four men walking around, one looking like a god. When released, they didn’t even smell of smoke.

Not all influencing is good. Choosing who we’ll follow and who we pattern our lives after is significant. These men, even though shaped to become like their captors, refused to compromise who they were in the Lord.

Kolly enjoys being a little like me. She knows I love her and will do all I can to make her life easier.

But I’m not a person anyone should randomly choose to emulate. I’m broken, just like everyone else. I live with a value system that’s important to me, but I’m not good about it all the time.

Jesus is the only One worth following; His influence in my life is what makes me the person I am today, if there’s anything worth imitating.

All I want to be is just like Him.