O Christmas Tree, Real or Fake?
As a child for more years than not, we had a fake Christmas tree. We would come to visit my brother around the holiday’s while he was living here in Florida. Since we would be gone for a week my parents decided to start getting a fake tree instead of a real one. Even after we didn’t travel down here as much for the holiday’s we still stuck with a fake Christmas tree. It was not until Margaret Ellen and I were married and living in California that we bought a real Christmas tree again. That’s when I fell in love with having a real live tree instead of a fake one.
There is something about having a real Christmas tree in the house that just makes it seem even more like Christmas-time. The thrill of going with the kids to go pick it out every year and finding that “perfect” tree for us is something I look forward to. When comparing a real Christmas tree to a fake one there are a lot of differences. The look of the tree is different. The smell of the tree is different. You can just tell which is real and which is fake.
As Christians, we need to be careful to not be “fake” when it comes to being a Christian. People can tell the difference between what is real and what is fake. Jesus warned the Pharisees of this in Matthew 23 saying, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside of it may also become clean.” Jesus isn’t interested in us putting on a show for those around us. He is asking for us to be the real deal. That doesn’t mean that we are going to be perfect! It’s the fake trees that give the illusion of being perfect. When you get a real one you know it is not perfect. It is the same with following Christ. When we are faking it we often put on an illusion of perfection. However, when we are truly following Christ we know that we are not perfect and only have hope because of Him.
People can tell the difference in people who claim to follow Christ and those who actually are. Hypocrisy is one of the main answers from people who when asked say they don’t want to be a part of the Church. So if we are having problems with being fake let’s take a step this week by admitting we aren’t perfect. Let’s remember that we have a friend in Jesus who takes care of us and all of our imperfections. When we are genuine it will make an impact on this world more than when pretending that we are something we are not. Let’s work towards being real in our walk with Christ.
Joel Harper
