No Artificial Flavors

There are many things in life that taste good but just aren't the real thing, things like pineapple and watermelon candy. Then there are things that try to be the real thing but just aren't (and usually taste terrible), such as anything involving the word "tofu." And then there's a third category of things which do a decent job at pretending to be something they're not that I simply just don't care for, and it's in this group I place orange candy and grape-flavored anything. Every Christmas my parents give my sister and me rolls of Lifesavers, and I give every orange one to Mom I can (I've been forced to eat them myself this year, and I don't love it). It's not that I have a refined, discerning palate or anything; it's just that sometimes an artificial flavor won't do and the real thing is required.

It's not just limited to food, either. We all naturally reject artificial and fake things. That's true for items as diverse as designer purses and B movies. We want the original, the real thing, and anything else simply won't do. People in my generation and younger extend that discernment to other human beings, too. If someone is being "fake," we reject them. The call to be authentic seems to be the highest priority we give others. That can get you in quite a bit of trouble (someone might fake being a nice store clerk but is authentically a serial killer, for example), but there's one area in which it's absolutely crucial: your faith.

You can't fake being a Christian. You either are or you're not; there's no middle ground. There's no artificial Christian flavor that can substitute for the real thing. Be an authentic follower of Jesus Christ. Reject anything that tries to get you to follow a Jesus other than the one revealed in the Bible. Live a life of genuine faith that you may one day gain true eternal life.