Survivor: Christian part 2 – Be Real
“So then, get rid of lies. Speak the truth to each other, because we are all members of the same body.” Ephesians 4:25 (GWT)
One observation that I made while watching reality TV game shows is that the people who are most liked by the watching fans are those who are real – those who are happy and confident just being themselves. A good example of people being real are the hippies, BJ and Tyler, from The Amazing Race season 9. For the most part they were dissed by the other teams, called names, and mocked, but throughout the entire season they were who they were, and they were loved by the watching fans because of it.
It is important that when we try to survive in this life we are real. It’s no good going through life putting on masks, because sooner or later the mask will slip and reveal who we truly are. I remember going to a church service and meeting a man who I thought was Godly. However, later that week I saw that same man chewing out an employee of his for putting some cans of beans in the wrong place.
But what about us? Are we real? Are we the same person inside and out? Are we the same person in church and in the world? We often forget that God is not fooled by appearances, he can see who we really are behind the masks that we ofttimes wear so well. That fact, in and of itself, should motivate us to throw off all falsehood and be the “real me.”
So what does the “real me” look like? Well, the Word tells us that as believers we should be integral and try to be honest at all times, and try to do what’s right not only for ourselves, but also for others. Thinking of the church, we should always try and work with the group, as oppose to against it, and value what others have to contribute to the group no matter how small and seemingly insignificant it may be.
If we are to truly be survivors in this life I believe we need to be real. We need to be real in what we say and do, and in how we are with others. A few questions we should constantly ask ourselves:“Am I honest about who I am, or do I embellish the truth?” “Do I do things for the best interest of others, or do I bend the rules to suit my needs and reach my goals?” and maybe the most revealing question, “Do I truly care about the other people in my team?”
All these factors play into the big picture of who we really are. Do we show our Christianity on the outside and wear it like a cheap suit, or is what’s on the outside (what we let others see) a reflection of who we are on the inside? In short, are we real?
On the Jesus Freak CD, DC Talk wrote, “the single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
We have to be real in our faith, in our beliefs, and in who we are, so that when people get to know us they will find that this Christian thing is not a passing fad we’re going through, but who we are, that it’s an integral part of who we are. I think that this is a key factor in leading people to Christ, because when people find out that we are who we are and that we have nothing to hide, including our doubts, fears, and failures, I believe they will take us, and our faith, a lot more seriously.
Christian St John M.Div, BChM, ACS
February, 2009
Picture by RKL and the Survivor website
