Do People See the Real Me...?

It's that time of year...when leaves change their colors. We're not seeing the change in Tennessee yet, but it can't be far away. But have you ever thought about what really happens when the sea of green becomes a bright rainbow of yellows, oranges, and reds?

We normally think of green leaves changing colors in the fall, don't we? But that's actually not what happens. In short, chlorophyll covers the true color of leaves and makes them green. That's actually very important for the trees...because without the chlorophyll in leaves, trees wouldn't be able to use sunlight to produce food.

But the point I'm making is that leaves don't change their colors, per se, in the fall...they simply return to their true colors. And when do people stand and stare in awe at trees' foliage? In the fall, of course! We're far more attracted to the eclectic mix of colors than the standard shades of green. We prefer to see leaves in their true colors more than when they're all the same color. There's a message in there for us.

How much time do we spend trying to be something that we're not...trying to be like someone else? Has it ever intrigued you that we'll spend big bucks to wear somebody else's number and name on our backs? We'll take a picture of someone else's haircut into the beauty shop and say, "I want to look like that!" We'll see a celebrity wearing a certain style of clothes or sunglasses, and we have to go out and buy the same.

Why can't we just be ourselves...our true colors? David wrote in one of his psalms that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). God made each of us as unique individuals. Surely He did that for a reason.

So, I'm left with the uncomfortable question, "Do people see the real me or am I influenced so much by the chlorophyll of culture that I'm just like everyone else?" Ouch...