Do any of you remember the “Be Like Mike” commercial for Gatorade from back in the ‘90s? Even though I was only about five when it came out, I can still remember it. The ad took video clips from some of Michael Jordan’s most impressive moments on the court and cut them together with clips of regular kids and teens playing basketball outside (presumably they were trying to emulate the pro ball player). The footage was accompanied by children’s voices singing about their dreams of being “like Mike.” And just in case the song and video didn’t communicate the commercial’s message clearly enough, the spot ends with the words, “Be like Mike. Drink Gatorade” in big, bold letters over a black background.
Now, at five years old, I didn’t drink a whole lot of Gatorade OR play much basketball, but I *did* understand what it was like to dream about who I wanted to be like. I understood looking up to certain people. Even though I didn’t know much about Michael Jordan specifically, what kid wouldn’t want to be like him - especially the way he was portrayed in that commercial? If *I* could be like Mike, I’d be tall, fun, athletic, and popular. I’d be able to jump super high, dunk a basketball, and win championships. I wasn’t exactly sure how Gatorade would help with any of that, but who was I to question TV?
As kids, we all had role models that we wanted to be like more than anything. There were, of course, the people we knew we were SUPPOSED to look up to - our parents, teachers, clergy, etc. - and we did, to the extent that they taught and guided us as we grew up. But then there were the people we REALLY admired. A good number of them were famous celebrities that we’d probably never get to meet like Michael Jordan, but some of them were people we saw and interacted with every day - an older sibling, the cool kid who lived down the street, the classmate who had a pool in their backyard and their own bedroom they don’t have to share. THESE were the people that we *really* wanted to be like, deep in our heart of hearts, the ones that we spent time and energy and money (when we had it) to emulate.
What all these people had in common, famous and ordinary alike, was that each of them embodied the things that mattered the absolute most to us at that time: Popularity. Athleticism. “Coolness”. Having neat stuff. Deep in our childish little hearts, these were the things that we valued above all else. If I could be like Mike, we thought to ourselves, then *I* could have all these wonderful things, too! So we did whatever we could with our limited means to be more like these role models that we chose - everything from dressing like them to talking like them to drinking Gatorade like them. Whether they realized it or not, we hung on their every word - which could have either good or bad consequences, depending on who it was that we’d decided to put up on a pedestal.
People in the ancient world had role models, too - both the kind they were expected to have and the kind that they chose for themselves. As part of the Roman empire, the people of Philippi were SUPPOSED to look up to the emperor, Nero. They were expected to celebrate his brutality, to admire his personal extravagance, and to applaud his political theatre. But these weren’t the things that the people in the Philippian church valued most, deep in their hearts. So they decided on their own role model: they wanted to be like Paul. They did everything they could to speak like him, act like him, worship God like him - who knows, maybe they even dressed like him too!
Now Paul knew that they looked up to him, and he took his position as a role model very seriously. He cherished his relationship with the Philippians, and he was pleased with how well they understood and followed his teachings. Knowing how much they admired him, he took every opportunity he could to influence their behavior for the better - “You can make me happy by being united in your care for each other and thinking of others as better than yourselves.” As role models go, the Philippians could have done a lot worse than Paul.
But though he tried to live as faithful and righteous a life as he could, Paul was still only human. He knew that he had a less-than-admirable past, and that he was fully capable of succumbing to sin at any given moment. He was a good role model, but he was also a fallible one. And he certainly didn’t want to accidentally lead his beloved community astray.
So rather than simply accepting and basking in their adoration, Paul encouraged them to direct their attention beyond himself and towards an even better role model - HIS role model: “Be more like Christ,” he told them. “He emptied himself by becoming human, and then he emptied himself even more by submitting to the utter indignity of death on a cross - all for our sake. THIS is the epitome of humility. THIS is thinking of others before yourself. THIS is who you should want to be like. You’ve always done such a wonderful job following me, whether I’m with you or not, but God is the one who can best show you how to live out the values that God has placed in all our hearts.”
As adults, we don’t think much about role models anymore. We might even think we don’t have any - we have managers or bosses or authority figures, but not role models. But a role model is anyone that we allow to influence the way we live our lives, and whether we realize it or not, those people are everywhere, no matter how old we get. They’re always competing for our attention and our loyalty, trying to convince us that we should try to be more like them. And we have to be careful of who, exactly, we allow to shape our hearts and minds.
Just like the Philippians, and just as when we were kids, there are still role models that we’re “supposed” to have. People who “deserve” your respect and admiration automatically. Politicians and world leaders. Millionaires and Billionaires. Tech CEOs and Social Media moguls. Anyone, really, who’s achieved any measure of success by this world’s standards. And I’m not standing here to tell you that they SHOULDN’T be your role models; that’s a personal decision. But I *am* here to ask you - do they, either personally or collectively, represent the values that you claim to hold closest to your heart? Is their influence on your life leading you in a direction that you’re proud of? Do they deserve to be someone that shapes you as a person?
As kids, our most influential role models tend to be whoever happens to impress us or make us jealous in the moment - it’s often a really visceral process. That makes sense, since most kids are still working on regulating their emotions, and it’s okay because the worst consequence is usually something like a hard lesson about spending all your savings on trendy sneakers. But as adults, we can’t afford to let our emotions rule us like this, because the stakes are much higher. We need to be a lot more intentional about how we decide who’s allowed to have that level of influence over us.
At the end of the day, he is the only standard that we should be striving for. His are the values that we ought to be placing above all others. His is the attitude and mindset that we need to adopt. Not only because all other role models inevitably fall short…but also because you never know who might see YOU as a role model. True, you’re no Michael Jordan (sorry to break it to you) but you have your own admirable and impressive qualities. You may not feel like you do, but to someone else, you have everything going for you - or at least everything that they want for their life. You might be THEIR Paul.
So for their sake as well as our own, we need to keep conforming our lives to Jesus’ as much as possible. We need to reject all the values that don’t match his (even if we like the way they make us feel). Without compromise, we need to keep advocating and advancing the values that we know bring us all closer to God’s kindom. And, just like Paul, we need to keep pointing beyond ourselves to make sure that everyone knows without question who OUR role model is.
Some people still want to be like Mike, or more likely these days, LeBron. Others want to be like Beyonce, or Dolly, or Malala. Still others want to be like Zuckerberg or Bezos. And there’s certainly something to admire in each of these people. But me? I wanna be like Christ. I won’t be able to do it perfectly, of course, but if I work at it, hopefully I can do it well enough to make some sort of difference. At the very least, I can point in the right direction. Will you join me? Amen.
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