Learning from “Little Ron”

Last night at the World Series the Rangers had a special guest, Liam Roybal, the seven-year-old kid who impersonated Ron Washington for Halloween. He mirrored the appearance of the Texas Rangers’ skipper, even shaving the top of his head! He looked like a Mini Me Wash. The team invited him to be their special guest at the game and to take the microphone for the ceremonial “play ball” call.

So what do I learn from him? 

Little Ron’s great likeness to Big Ron was deliberate. It reminded me of Acts 11:26: “It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.” Apparently, the city recognized this group as followers Jesus. In contrast, today’s Christians are often known as unloving church-goers rather than Jesus look-alikes. How do we become intentional about looking like Jesus?

God is in the business of making us into Jesus’s image (Rom. 8:28-29), but He calls us to be involved in that process, to be purposeful about it, like Liam was with Wash. We are to renew our minds and stop thinking and acting like the world (Rom. 12:1-2). As I fill my thoughts with God’s word, I clearly see Jesus and can mimic his likeness. It’s tough to think and act opposite the culture when its philosophy is all we put in our minds. I must ask myself where I can eliminate the world’s influence to replace it with Christ’s. Television shows, books, magazines, talk shows, advice of friends?

There is no other way to look like Jesus than to steep our thinking in the word instead of the world. The scriptures must be a conscious priority; otherwise, it won’t happen. Too often I don’t make it part of my schedule but use leftover time. I must be more deliberate implanting God’s word if I want to look like Him. I pray that this results in others seeing more of Jesus and less of me.

What specific thing can you do to put more of Jesus in and take out the influences of the world? Please share your ideas!