The 1996 movie, Up Close and Personal, starring Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer, touched the hearts of many who hunger to see people be all that they were meant to be.  In the movie, Tally, an aspiring TV news reporter, defies all odds and goes after the career she knows she is meant to have even though women were not cast in these roles during which the plot of this movie was penned.  Tally knew and believed what was within her even though it was not perceived through the eyes of others.   She had to fight for others to see who she really was.  And she succeeded.

This is true of us too.  As I am on this journey to becoming real I realize some of my biggest hurdles have been to convince others of who I really am.  Some of this is my fault because for years I did not really like who I was so I became a person who I thought could be loved and respected.  I was very well liked, however… I was not happy.  I always felt fake, like I was a poser.  Deep within me there was so much potential left untouched and often I felt misunderstood and misjudged.  It was not a very rewarding existence.

I have now come to a point in my journey to becoming real in which I am convinced that there is only one person who knows who I am and that is God.  He carefully crafted and made me, creating me in His very image.  He is beckoning me to be ‘up close and personal with Him’.  As I venture forward on this odyssey I am on I find I can see the real me in the eyes of the One who first beheld me and if I tune in to hear His voice I can hear the endless thoughts He has towards me.  Take a moment, quiet yourself and listen.  You have a life awaiting you that is more than you can ask or imagine.

Coca-Cola penned this logo in 1991 when they went back to their classic recipe which they had used since its origination in 1886.  For a time, a very short time, they thought they would be better off leaving behind their original, REAL formula and altering it, but this sudden veer of direction ended up costing them greatly and resulted in a quick switch back to the REAL thing for fear of consumers switching over to their competitor, Pepsi.

As a side note, Coca-Cola has used the word ‘real’ in their slogans 6 times in the past century.  I think they realize that people hunger for the real.  They understand that if people will link their brand to the word real, then all other brands must be copies or ‘posers.’  Pretty genius I think.  Listed here are their slogans referencing the word real:

• 1969 – It’s the real thing.
• 1974 – Look for the real things.
• 1985 – America’s Real Choice.
• 1991 – Can’t Beat the Real Thing. (for Coca-Cola Classic)
• 2003 – Real.
• 2005 – Make It Real.

I think our formulas have been altered also.  I know I have veered directions a few times, actually quite a few times, trying to see what works, what people will like, what will make me happy and feel valuable, etc.  The original formula for each one of us can only be found in knowing God because He fashioned and created us.  My friend Jonathan Welton’s status this morning on his Facebook page was,

The creator determines the identity of the created.

So why do we try to alter who we are and veer from being REAL?  I’d love to hear your responses…

As I have pondered over these past few days who I would describe myself to be, the question has come to mind many times, “Am I really real?”  “Am I really who I portray myself to be.”  And to be honest with you, these questions have stirred up quite a bit of unease in my mind simply because I am still on the journey of discovering who I really am.

For most of my life I became or I was who others thought I should be.  In a nutshell, I was a people pleaser, I did not value the real ‘me.’   I know I am not alone in this because I honestly believe very, very few are the real deal.  I looked up the word real at Dictionary.com and the definition is: genuine, authentic.  An antonym of real is ‘fake.’  I just read an awesome book by Mike Frank called, Prosperity with Purpose, and in it he shares that he was not real, he was a poser.  That was the word he chose and I think it is a word many of us can identify with.  I love it when these sort of things get exposed.  Bill Johnson always says that what you can’t identify you cannot overcome.  As soon as Mike Frank identified he was a poser, he was open and willing to become real.  I have realized that I am willing too.  As I write this I realize I have already made great strides but I want it all.  I want to be real.  I want to be the same person at home as I am when I am out with friends or at church.  I believe that being real will eliminate a lot of conflict and strife we carry, therefore allowing peace and freedom to reign in us.  I hope this has triggered something in you too.

In my blog yesterday I posed a scenario that really has me thinking.  If you haven’t read it you may want to do that now so you know where I am headed in this writing.  (See blog entitled: “What If?”)

The question “Who are you?” is actually a very loaded question, one of those with many layers like an onion.  Have you ever had a “Bloomin’ Onion” at Outback Steakhouse?  They cut an onion open like a flower and deep fry it serving it with a yummy sauce.  They are delicious.  I think when it comes to figuring out who we are we need to start right in the middle of the onion and move to the outer layers since all the layers build upon the inner most core.

I believe first of all each one of us is somebody’s son or daughter.  Centuries ago this was vocalized much more than it is now.  In the Bible people were known by their lineage, “James the son of Zebedee” and “Levi the son of Alphaeus” are just two examples.  I am the daughter of Arlo and Rita and you are the son/daughter of “_____”.  But if you believe in God and His son Jesus Christ you have been adopted as a son or daughter of God.  He is now your Father and this now becomes one of the most important identifiers of who you really are.  Try it out.  Say to yourself, “I am a son/daughter of God.”  Say it again.  Maybe a few more times.  Now picture this truth.  Envision God as your proud Father.  After all, He is the one who made you and the one you represent here on earth.  You are created in His image.  You  belong to Him.

In the busyness of everyday life it is easy to let shallowness take over and forget who we really are.  Next time someone asks you, “How are you?”, in your mind translate it to “Who are you” and remind yourself that you are a son/daughter of the Most High God.  What a simple way to regularly remind ourselves of this important truth.  If you want further revelation on this you can read Romans 8:12-17.

May God your Father bless you in every way!  I will leave you with this to meditate on:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy became our father again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (I Peter 1:3 WEB)