“Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” Phil 3:17

One of the reasons that living the kind of life Jesus lived is so difficult is the shortage of good patterns. Of course many Jesus-followers are “doing their best” to live as he lived, but how many are giving newbies a pattern to follow?

Patterns are clear, obvious, and replicable. They have done the hard work of design; they’ve taken the pain of trial and error out of the mix. Back when women used to sew, patterns were sold. A seamstress would cut out the pattern and pin it to cloth that was then cut out and sewn together. It was so much more efficient to do that than to design and make your own clothes. My mom used to sew and Karen went to great pains to make her own wedding dress.

If I am a new, aspiring Jesus-follower, where are the patterns that I can replicate? Whose example can I follow? To follow a pattern, you have to be near it – near enough to mimic behavior. A few meetings a week is not enough to go on. Spoken words are not enough – we need to see lifestyle.

This is not an apologetic for some kind of legalistic, automatic faith. A good pattern leaves all kinds of room for embroidery. But as we celebrate individuality, let’s remember that it flourishes best within structure. Absent a pattern, all you have is cloth rags.