They will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power. 2 Timothy 3:5 (GNT)
In the back of our minds, we know the images we see in magazines are retouched. The model’s skin is not that flawless; her teeth not that bright naturally; her knees are knobby, not smooth.
Technology makes a retouched photo harder to identify. But the frequent use of retouching makes us default to the assumption that a perfect image owes its perfection to computer-generated fixes.
It may work in marketing, but it doesn’t work with faith. A Photoshopped faith may look pretty and sound pretty—“I’m just trusting Jesus in this. He’s so faithful.” But if we scratch at the surface, will we find faith only skin-deep? Painted on?
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Among the few times Jesus grew truly livid were when He found people living fake faith—Photoshopped faith. Tradition plastered over where relationship should be. Token compassion slapped on top of day-to-day self-absorption. Mama’s heart of faith pasted on our body rather than our own faith shining through.
Genuine. Authentic. They were the only kinds of faith that blessed Jesus. And they’re the only kinds that bless us and others too.
Do our scars show? They’re real. Is the faith the world around us sees genuine, or has it been retouched for the public?
FAITH STEP: The only way we’ll be comfortable letting the world see our real, unretouched faith is if it is genuine. Touched by Him, not retouched to cover what it’s really like. What’s one change you can make today to improve the look of your faith without makeup? (Hint: Immersing ourselves in God’s Word makes faith glow.)
