Imitate the Christ-like

Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to imitate it. July 8, 1723. - Jonathan Edwards. Number54 on his list of 70 resolutions.

On Sunday, our Pastor quoted this phrase and it particularly stood out to me. We know that as followers of Christ we are to imitate Christ. One way we can do this is to acknowledge those qualities that are exemplified in other believers and imitate those things that are worthy of praise. In other words - see the Christ-like qualities in others and endeavor to imitate them as an effort to imitate Christ. So often I admire the good Christ-like qualities in others but I rarely put those things into practice in my own life. Good, godly qualities, are not just to be admired, they are to be practiced. This is something I need to keep in mind daily!

This is especially important now that I have a daughter who will soon be imitating me. As a parent it is my duty to imitate Christ to the best of my ability so that my daughter will grow to imitate Him as well.

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A Simple Home

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
- William Morris (British craftsman, designer and poet, 1834-1896)

I've been trying to simplify lately. I've been organizing just about everything in sight, re-arranging things, finding new ways to do things, ways to use what I already have rather than buying new stuff, ridding my home of the items that serve no purpose like old magazines and items that were given to us that I saved just because...they were given to us. It always amazes me how much stuff we Americans have. Do we really need all of those kitchen appliances? 500 channels on TV? 5 radios in the household? Do I really need 25 plastic containers to store leftovers in?

That's my thought for today. I've been thinking a lot about my home lately. I was unable to go to church this morning because my daughter is sick. So I have been home all day taking care of her. Now I'm working on a project for a friend, which led me to come across that quote :)