100% Real Cheese
I remember a night a couple of years ago when I had a pizza craving. I stopped at the convenience store for gas and as I walked in the door I saw a way to appease my appetite, frozen pizzas 4 for $10. Sifting through the freezer one label caught my eye, "100% real cheese." As I pulled away from the store I began to ask some questions, "What is it if it isn't real cheese? Are there some pizzas with fake cheese?" Don't want to go there! I want the real stuff. Don't we all!
We long for reality. Yet, look around. I just read an article titled, What He/She is "Really" Saying, about ways of deciphering communication based of gender preferences. Think about what we call Reality TV. It is edited, staged productions in which the "real" people know the camera is rolling. Is that real? Can we make it real?
From what I've experienced, reality can span several categories wild, fun, painful, awesome, harsh, boring, unfair, etc. Life doesn't fit in categories. Life is all God's idea. Reality is where God dwells and He is the source. He is not surprised or overwhelmed. There is order and there is messy freedom. This apparent paradox requires created ones to be dependent on something or someone since we can't control life.
Truth in labeling becomes very important in "real"ationships. Shared life is invaluable and true community becomes hard to build because the prerequisite is being real. We need help, we are superficially connected in society. We long for someone to love us for who we really are but we'd rather people not "know" the real us and speak the truth. We must find reality outside of us. Reality declares that there is only One who is life. He is the spirit breath of life. To know Him is to have eternal life. Start here. Be loved, be real. Then be real grace towards those not ready to reveal the real them.