Thoughts on I Thessalonians 1: Become an example by learning to imitate

In the first chapter of this interesting letter, Paul comes out with what I imagine was an intentionally odd thought: Become imitated by first imitating others.  In this case, the believers in Thessalonica became an example for other believers in Macedonia and Achaia (v. 7).  They were able to accomplish this because they imitated Paul, other spiritual leaders, and the Lord.

In the modern (at least Western) world, there is so much emphasis on being unique.  Children are encouraged to become their own persons (although I would argue that the encouragement is not consistent, especially among those most vociferous about it).  In academia, you are rewarded for being original, sometimes even if the original thing you say is ridiculous.  You see this in many areas of life.

But, there's a problem.  For a large percentage of the time, being original doesn't actually work.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that being original frequently hinders progress.  Why would you try to invent something new for every task when there are proven ways to complete that task already in place?  Isn't it smarter to simply imitate what has done before?

Now, I freely admit that there are problems with my argument when taken all the way and applied to all circumstances.  However, this passage does not apply to technological advancement, for example.  It applies to spiritual growth.  Why would you try to create a new way of doing things spiritually?  Well, it depends, I guess, on your motivation.  Is your motivation to please God or to please yourself?  If your motivation is to please God, it makes perfect sense to imitate those who have pleased God previously.  This is not an area where one wants to re-invent the wheel.