Sometimes we don’t recognize the absence of goodness in our lives.

I recently heard a story about a college student who ate from her university’s meal plan. This included many meals from the cafeteria, as well as a sandwich shop on campus. She tolerated the food and even sometimes got excited about it when her favorite dishes were served. She avoided the slimy vegetables and refrained from the baked chicken, but she liked the stir fry, and there was always good Italian food.

Sure, it wasn’t as good as home. But that was to be expected. Home food doesn’t sit under warming lights until it’s picked up by some hungry young adult. So it would be foolish to expect it to be as good as home. Just the same, it wasn’t that bad.

Then she went home.

The food was unbelievably good. She sunk her teeth into a bite of Greek chicken the first night she was back and moaned. The food wasn’t just better because it was served right away. No. It tasted more real.

How was it that the food looked the same as it did at home, and yet the taste, the feel to the food was so different? The college student considered it for a while.

Maybe the food at school wasn’t bad. But it also wasn’t real.

It’s a question we have to ask ourselves. Often I find myself going on autopilot and living a life that appears to be real on the outside. But does it taste real?

Proverbs 27:19  states, “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.”

Your heart shows you who you are. It shows you how you’re living. It’s like a mirror to reveal what and who the rest of you is. So if you want to know whether you’re living real or everything is a counterfeit, like my friend’s cafeteria food, check your heart.

I am a firm believer in doing regular heart checks. Sin slips in so easily. There are a couple of ways to examine your heart, as if looking in a mirror.

Reading Scripture makes me want to live for Christ. Jesus and the heroes of the faith model how to live real lives devoid of hiding. The Bible is always a great place to start! It gives practical advice, inspiration, and opens our hearts to know the Spirit more deeply by teaching us how to look more like Christ, the image of the invisible God (Col 1) and the most authentic person to have ever lived. 

Believe it or not, God tells us so much in silence. I like to sit in the quiet (especially if it’s so quiet I can hear it!) and just listen. I redirect my thoughts with a simple prayer such as “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening” or “Holy Spirit, come.” And I listen. I wait. I let Him speak the words He wants me to hear and bring to mind the Scripture He wants to impress on my heart. Sometimes it can take some time, but I eventually come away with something, even if it might seem small. He has a way of working on me during those times.

This one requires some humility! Every time I pray this prayer, the Lord brings to mind something that needs to be fixed. Some way that I’m living outside of His reality. And it can be crushing because then I realize just how fake and flawed I am. But its still worth it. 

I think our favorite characters tell us a lot about ourselves, because they show us what we resonate with. Sometimes, that can be a thing that is sweet and wholesome and just plain fun. But sometimes it gets ugly. What villains do you love? Why? What vices make you similar to them, and how can you root that sin out of your life? Are there things about a protagonist that make you cringe because they’re flawed and you relate? 

This one is especially uncomfortable, because we don’t like to expose our pride. But think about it for a moment. What is something you don’t want other people to know? Something you’re trying desperately to hide? Bring this into the light. Even if you don’t realize it, you’re probably living a lie so that you can hide from the truth. Jesus presents us with massively encouraging reminder in John 8:31-32: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Ultimately, I think that is what living authentically, living real lives, gives us. It grants freedom. Because to be honest, living authentically really just comes down to sanctification and living in our identity as Sons and Daughters of a Mighty God. It means laying aside the shackles of sin that bind us to lies and lead to death. It means putting on righteousness that follows the straight path and needs no disguise.

So, whether we’re talking about suspicious cafeteria food or authentic life, there is freedom in truth, and in choosing not to hide behind a made-up facade. Christ is the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6). Emulate Him.

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