Imitators of Christ
Let’s teach your LITTLE ONE to IMITATE.
Ephesians 5:1-2 says, ”Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Here, we believe speech and language intervention can look like mama’s sitting down with their child with that new picture book, eating breakfast, pulling out all the toys you have, cooking in the kitchen, riding home in the car, or running around the front yard. There are limitless opportunities every day to utilize for a child’s speech development. If you are a parent, one way you can minister in your home is by empowering your child to become the best version of themselves!
In our book Little Imitators, The Ultimate Guide to Early Communication, we thoroughly discuss the easy tips and tools you can implement into your daily routine. We also dive into how these evidence-based strategies are actually biblical principles the Lord uses in our own lives to draw us closer to Him every day. When my eyes were opened spiritually to what the Lord was doing in these principles, it felt like a treasure I was selfish to not share. In our book, we discuss the 12 most important strategies and implement them one by one alongside other mothers around the country. Our book is an alternative for those of you not ready for our MasterClass, Words of Life Course, which utilizes even more practical wisdom and real-life examples of how to increase your child’s speech and language development in the comfort of your child’s natural environment.
One of the most strategies we discuss is “imitation.” Imitation is a proven techniques that utilizes facial expressions, sounds, words, and actions to increase your little one’s communication skills from the very beginning. It teaches your child how to “mimic” the verbal expression skills you model, which in return furthers their overall language development. What we have found, is that imitation is also a Biblical principle Jesus uses in our own life. He calls us to be “imitators of Christ” when we say yes to following Him. He has provided us the perfect model to imitate the best of our ability (clearly needing to rely on the Holy Spirit in us to help us do this more and more each day). Let us, therefore, “be imitators of God,” just as we ask our little children to imitate us. Let us come to the Lord like little children, eager to imitate him in word and action. After experiencing this revelation, helping your little one’s imitate words and actions will never be the same for me. This skill of imitation is something that goes far deeper than imitating the words I speak. It is a life-long skill that is being learned in your little one now, but will one day be activated in them to draw them closer to Christ. Hallelujah! Thinking deeper, let us be sure to give our children the a fruitful model to imitate. Let it be our imitation of Christ, that they learn to imitate. Living out “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
Today’s speech challenge- throughout your day, model the single word you would like for your child to repeat after you. The first time you give them a word to repeat (or the second, third and fourth), you may not get a verbal response. Think about how much patience Jesus has with us when we do not perfectly imitated Him every time. Watch for their non-verbal response as they look at you, smile, or maybe even reach for the object. Then, say the word again and again throughout your day. Give your child a chance to respond, by giving him or her that “awkward silence.” This is what we discuss in our course and book as our “magic 7 seconds.”
Remember to remain patient, stay consistent, and get ready! As you include this practice into your daily routine with your child, overtime, you just might find them imitating more than you even asked them too! Your sweet little one is listening to everything you say.
Write this verse on the fridge if you need to have the constant reminder of the True fruit in this principle that develops us into His design. My textbooks told me this would work, but I have found that God’s Word, more importantly, does too. When we learn these evidence-based strategies for early intervention, our eyes can be opened to so many biblical Truths God wrote out for us before we were even born. “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2).
As we said, as Christians, we are to be followers of Christ, or “little imitators” of Christ. In the same way we are called to imitate what Christ has modeled for us, our children will learn to imitate what we model for them. In doing this, you are not only planting and watering seed but you are also building upon foundation in your home, so that your child will flourish in their relationship with others, and ultimately the Lord. You are ministering to them deeply by helping them grow in their communication, so that they can become that effective communicator God designed them to be in their own unique way. This little communicator you are partnering with Christ to raise in your home, just may grow up to be a man or women speaking up to communicate the things of God for all to come to know Him.
Some verses for further study-
”For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6).
”And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).