So I ate dinner with my shirt off tonight…
Lest you fear, it is not a frequent occurrence at my house. In fact I don’t think I have ever eaten dinner at the kitchen table without my shirt on before tonight. However in this case it kept the peace and allowed my son to believe that he too could eat his dinner with his shirt off. My wife had prepared lasagna. We have learned the hard way that lasagna stains do not come out of light colored clothes no matter what product or technique you may try. After ruining several outfits we made a rule that no kid shoud eat “red sauce” based foods in light colored clothing. As we sat down to dinner I noticed Stuart, my son, was wearing a bright, white collared polo shirt. I reminded him that he would have to take it off before he could eat the lasagna. In response, loud screams and shouts of protest broke out.
As he hemmed and hawwed my mind flashed to scenes from earlier in the day. Stuart had imitated to a “t” everything and anything I did. I came home early from work to mow the lawn. I went inside to change clothes. Stuart inisited that he had to change clothes. I put on my Crocs. Stuart put on his Crocs. I changed out of my Crocs and into my “yard shoes”. Stuart pleaded to put on his “yard shoes”. He of course didn’t have “yard shoes”. So I relented and grabbed a pair of his school shoes – his blue Keds. Well let’s just say he has “yard shoes” now. But don’t tell his mother. She doesn’t know it yet! I put on a hat. Stuart had to wear a hat. The same was true with regards to wearing sunglasses. I think I made something like 28 trips in and out of the house before I ever even cranked the mower…all because Stuart wanted to be, look, and act just like his dad! He was in fact, “The Great Imitator”!
So as I listened to him plead with his mother not to take his shirt off before eating his dinner – the lasagna – I quickly tore off my shirt and sat down beside him. I didn’t say a word. Neither did Stuart. He simply picked up his fork and began to feast. Like father…like son!
Reflecting back on the events of today, I feel extremely blessed to have a son who so desires to imitate my every move, action, and form of dress…even down to my choice of socks. It is flattering and humbling all at the same time. It is a fun new stage of life to experience with my child. It is nice think that someone…another person…thinks enough of you to imitate what you are doing and being…
But the more I think about it I keep hearing the words of Christ in this week’s Gospel passage ringing in my ears, “love one another as I have loved you.” Christ so loved the world he laid down his life. He lived a life of sacrificial love and he calls us to do the same. How willing am I…are you…are we…to imitate that kind of love? What would it look like for us to daily, hourly, minute by minute…seek to imitate Christ in every way. May we begin to the work of imitating the One, Christ, who modeled perfectly how to love one another…
The Ben-e-diction: So please, keep your shirt on but starting now let’s be about a life of imitating Christ!
