Always Copy the Original

This morning, I awoke with a message in my mind: "Always copy the original, not another copy of the original." I don't remember if this was part of a dream that I was having or if it was a stand-alone message. I mulled it over and over, though, thinking about how true and important it is.

First, I thought about cutting strips of elastic. I have been helping alter high school band uniforms since July 2023, and one thing needed is strips of elastic cut to eleven inches in length to be used as "stirrups" - elastic bands sewn to the bottom hems of the bibbers (overall pants) that loop under the feet to hold the legs of the bibbers down in a nice, clean line. (I'll introduce some marching band terminology for those who are unfamiliar with it.) This year, the other woman sewing and I noticed that the elastic strips were not all eleven inches in length. Some of them were as short at ten inches long while others were as long as twelve inches, and many were somewhere in between that range (usually between ten and eleven inches). Someone had likely cut one using a ruler and then cut more using that first cut piece - or subsequent cut pieces - as their new measuring rod. This really does impact how we sew them to the bibbers and how effective they are for the students wearing them. 

Maybe you do not have experience cutting strips of elastic, but maybe you have had a similar experience cutting lengths of ribbon or string/yarn for a project. Maybe it was cutting wood, paper, cloth, or some other medium in which you had a specified length or size, or possibly even a template, to follow. When you go to put the project together, you notice that the pieces are not all the same size. It affects the integrity of the whole project's structure.

"Always copy the original, not another copy of the original."

In our spiritual lives, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus and copy Him. Pastors, teachers, and other leaders or Christian role models can be helpful in our learning about Jesus and living righteous lives, but we must not elevate these people to a place where we focus on copying them rather than copying Jesus. This is how we get into trouble with false teachers, false prophets, twisted interpretations of the Bible, and other such things. If you are listening to what someone is saying without ever going back to the Bible to read context, double-check what they are saying, and seeing what else the Bible might have to say about whatever it is, then you put yourself in a dangerous place of possibly agreeing with a teaching that is not from God. You have to do your own homework.

My emphasis on Jesus in the last paragraph is not an attempt to exclude the Old Testament. In Leviticus 11:44-45, God twice says "be holy, for I am holy." Leviticus 19:2 says, "...'Be holy because, I the LORD your God, am holy.'" Leviticus 20:7 says, "'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.'" In Genesis 1:26-27, the Bible talks about mankind being created in the image of God. If we are created in the image of God, are called to be holy as he is holy, and are supposed to show his likeness to the people in the world around us, then we better keep our focus on him!

Another illustration, slightly different although I feel that it applies, is using a rubber stamp. If you ink it between every stamping, you will get a good, strong stamped image. If you ink once and then stamp multiple times, the images grow fainter the further you get from the original. Or how about walkie talkies? When the users get further away from each other, the signal fades, and communication becomes more difficult. The whole purpose of the walkie talkies fails.

Both the stamp and the walkie talkie illustrations remind me that we need to stay connected to God by consistent reading/studying of the Bible and talking/listening to him through prayer. The closer and stronger connection we have with God, the stronger image we will convey to those around us. If we allow ourselves to drift away from our connection with God, we will have a fainter image that will have a weaker impact.

"Always copy the original, not another copy of the original."

Know God. Love God. Follow God with your whole heart, mind, and strength.