It was early in my teenage years when I glimpsed one of the coolest turning points of my life. A group of us young people had just finished an outing, and my Pastor had come to pick up his kids. While he was waiting by the entrance, I saw him drink a can of root beer!
I was amazedly stunned. In that moment, my Pastor instantly became the coolest guy ever. He had great taste in pop and actually drank the stuff. We had something in common.
That made him real.
It’s easy to go around hiding behind false pretenses. We live trying to make the best first impressions because you never know who is watching or what they might be thinking. Like circus performers, we bend over backwards, contorting ourselves here and there to fit into some pre-cut molds that we didn’t design. As a result, we’ve lost a lot of who we are in the process. And in living for ourselves and for others, we’ve also forgotten Whose we are.
Jesus kept things real.
Jesus’ whole life embodied realism. His life was simple and honest. He didn’t do things to flatter anyone or stress about acceptance. In fact, He even told His disciples to expect rejection and that they were to keep moving when it came. He didn’t overextend himself and then struggle midway through life in crisis of who He really was.
In choosing to live a real life, simple as it may be, Jesus had peace.