Thursday's in the Truth: Are you Faking It?

For the last few months, I have been wrestling with this idea of faking it.  One thing you need to know about me is I am a straight shooter.  What you see is what you get.  I don’t dance around issues; I get straight to the point.  If you ask me a question, I will tell you my honest answer.  I am like that with people too.  I am not good at faking my excitement to see someone, or putting on that happy face to make everyone think everything is good.  Yet I look around and see so many who are.  I know for a fact some of them are faking it, and so I have been wondering lately, am I wrong?  Should I be better at faking it when people are around?  It never seemed right to me.  I couldn’t wrap my head around why God would want me to put on a show.  I certainly didn’t want to fake it, I was perfectly happy being me.  But it still kept nagging at me.  What was I missing?  And then I came across these verses:

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.  Do not repay anyone evil for evil.  Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12: 9-18

And then I got it.  I was asking the wrong question; I was going about it the wrong way.  It was a love issue.  Am I loving people well?  Am I devoted to them?  Am I sincere?  Am I doing everything in MY POWER to live at peace with them?  We aren’t called to be fake.  We aren’t called to have it all together.  We are called to love sincerely.  Yes, we see this all through Scripture, it is the Great Commandment after all.  But it usually takes me a little longer to get it.  My question has now changed to am I loving people well?  Am I loving people the way God would have me love people?  Am I approaching the situation in love?  My prayer has changed to, “God, help me to love your people.  Love people THROUGH me.  They need YOUR love, not my own and the best love they can get will come from you, so love them THROUGH me.”

So are you faking it?  Are you just trying to be nice to someone to get through the day? Are you putting on a show?  Or do you need to start loving someone sincerely?  Unfortunately, I haven’t found any easy answer to this, love is hard, but I am striving to love people better, to see people through God’s eyes and not my own and to love them sincerely.