Michala Woodruff

Downloaded the app, snapped my in-the-moment picture, and scrolled through my friend’s lives on Be Real. The older I get, the more I work, the more college classes I take, the more I want something that is a real. Authentic. The filters of social media and CGI of entertainment are one thing, but the masks of physical people is a whole other elephant.

Why do we pretend to be something we’re not? Because we don’t like what we see in the mirror? Because of a fear, pride, resentment, or the desire of acceptance? We have bought into a lie that if we accept people for who they want to be, then we can create a reality. We want something real, so we make it. We are all in a search for our own reality.

Let me take a moment to show you what I’ve found. From 2,000 years ago, no one has questioned the existence of Jesus Christ. It is His identity that people question. However, according to Jesus Christ Himself, He is 100% God and a 100% human (John 8:58–“Before Abraham was, I Am”, John 17:16–“I Am not of the world”, John 8:18–“I Am one that bear witness of Myself, and the Father that sent Me beareth witness of Me”, John 6:41–“I Am the bread which came down from heaven”, and other passages in the Bible also declare Jesus Christ as God and man). Now, of course, there were people before who claimed to be something that they’re not. However, none of them succeeded like Jesus.

Christianity is impacted culture for thousands of years. For instance, women in ancient history were only valued for their sex. However, the Bible shows God as valuing women because they are made in His image and they have special roles.

The more people tried to quelch Jesus Christ’s words, the brighter they burned. Even a Jewish enemy of Jesus Christ said that if this was not of God, it’d die down; nevertheless, if it was of God, there would be no stopping it (Acts 5:38-39).

So, what does Jesus Christ’s reality and identity have to do with us today?

Glad you asked! Every night before I’d go to bed, I’d ask God to save me or see me or at least help me. Life was unsteady. Uncertain. Like balancing on a tightrope, hoping I was good enough for something.

One night, my dad read through the Bible, talking about how our sin (lying, stealing, killing, cheating, thinking impure thoughts, etc.) destines us for the Lake of Fire. My mom then explained that God does not want the Lake of Fire for us but in his just holiness, someone perfect and human needed to pay our debt if we were to have the security of heaven. So, God added humanity to Himself, lived our life, and died the death that we deserved. Because He is God, He rose from the dead three days later to seal the gift.

The gift is this: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

So, that night, I asked God to forgive me of my sins and to save me.

My life is not perfect, but it is secure. I am secure in God’s love for me. I am secure in my eternity. I am secure in who I am because I don’t define myself. I let God define me. He made me. He is God.

Instead of life being a bunch of little motions (work hard, be good, tolerate each other, and love yourself), my life is built around Jesus. I don’t worry about being enough, because he is enough for me.

I want to be real. I want friends that are real. When my relationship with God is real, everything I do is real. It’s not a mask, CGI, or a filter. God is real.

Hope this was encouraging! All questions and insights are welcomed here.