You Can't Fake It

They show up for one another and strangers as well. You can't walk in without feeling their love and acceptance, and you can't walk out without feeling better for the encounter.  

My friend and mentor, Jerry Leachman, taught me long ago that you can fake caring, but you can't fake showing up. It's not about lip service, but presence.   

"For John the Baptist didn't spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, 'He's possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, 'He's a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors...'" (Luke 7:33-34)

Everyone has opinions and armpits, and typically, they both stink. Try not to pay attention to people who sit on the sideline, chastising you for not running the plays right. Instead, follow Jesus, who went right where he was needed, with real people, living real life, with real problems. He jumped right in and loved them in the middle of all of it.  Then he used them to change the world. Show up in the mess and hang out for a while. And if you're the mess...beautiful! We all got issues; let's work through them together.  

Our greatest responsibility in life is to bring real love to real people living real life.

That means showing up.   

Think about the places you could show up today and have an impact. Business relationships, personal relationships, family, friends, your community, your spouse. Who needs your support, who needs to feel seen, who needs information that could help them, who just needs to feel loved and cared for? Choose to show up. 

You can fake caring, but you can't fake showing up.