How would YOU fill in that blank? Who are your heroes? Whose shoes would you like to walk in? If you're in a Disney mood, then you might sing with King Louie from The Jungle Book, "You-hoo-hoo/I want to be like you-hoo-hoo." Or perhaps you might be led to consider the 1991 Gatorade ad campaign that was inspired by that movie and song: Be Like Mike. 

In the 90s, there were few sports teams that could compare with the synergy and star power of the Chicago Bulls, and the king of that bunch was the inestimable Michael Jordan. Chicagoans adored him. Pistons fans hated him for what he could do. Sports fans everywhere instinctively knew he was something special. Kids of that era found great fulfillment in putting a ball through the hoop with their tongues hanging out to the side whether it was a simple layup or a slam dunk on a lowered rim. Being like Mike made sense. Everyone wanted to be like Mike.

Do you remember the song/jingle that went with the ad campaign? The lyrics went like this: "Sometimes I dream/That he is me/You've got to see that's how I dream to be/I dream I move, I dream I groove/Like Mike/If I could be like Mike." The desire to be like someone who exudes or even embodies greatness is understandable. It is a good thing to encourage excellence in the lives of all people, and we have to have solid examples to imitate. In basketball, no one of that era was quite like Michael Jordan, though there were many exemplary basketball players. Like all of us, his personal life and choices made it impossible to follow him without any reservations, but when it came to basketball, being like Mike was the high standard to shoot for.

Do you ever dream about what it means to be like Jesus? To move like Him? To speak like Him? To exude His confidence and godly influence? When Jesus says to His disciples, "Come, follow me," that call applies not just to the exact individual to whom He was speaking in the moment, but it extends to us as well, thousands of years later.

What does it mean to follow Jesus, to walk in His footsteps, to be like Him? There are some ways in which we cannot precisely replicate the actions of the Savior. He altered the realities of many people by healing the sick and even raising the dead. I don't know of anyone who has exhibited that kind of miraculous God-power on a regular basis, even though I have heard isolated stories of miraculous power that I'm not willing to discount. God works in mysterious ways, as the saying goes.

But more important than the physical healing that Jesus brought to this world, He brought words of hope and truth and comfort. He said, "You are forgiven," and it was so. He said "You are dearly loved," and it was true, because He was speaking from the highest level of authority. He said "It is finished," and in a moment limited the victory of sin, death, and suffering to this world alone. He still speaks those words and many others into your life. He wants His Word to change you, to transform you, to spur you on to action that looks like His.

You may not be able to alter the state of reality like Jesus did, but you can speak powerful words of hope into the lives of those around you. You can do simple acts of kindness with great love that change the life of a single person in a powerful way. That is the essence of being like Jesus, hearing and responding to His call.

So here's the question that starts to get at the heart of discipleship and the movement that Jesus started: Who do you want to follow in your footsteps? Who is looking up to you and imitating you? Children do this with their siblings and especially with their parents. Adults aren't immune to influence from one another. So who values your opinion? Who seeks you out when they feel disconnected or out of their depth? In a simple phrase, who's "on your 6?"

Jesus has invested His life in you. He's called others around you throughout your life to give you images of Who He is and lessons on following Him. He's done this not so that you can hoard it or keep it to yourself. Jesus gives generously and liberally out of a bottomless supply of love, insight, and care. He gives it so you can give it away. My challenge to you is to rigorously examine the following question and answer it: What would happen if I spent time intentionally investing in just two or three other people who are walking in my footsteps as I seek to walk in Jesus' footsteps? I think that if you take some time wresting with that and praying about it, you'll find another dimension to your life with God, and plenty of reminders that...

Adventure is out there!
Pastor Aaron