Get Real!

Get Real!
by Erin Learned (Mar. ’02)

During the past school year, I have made these two simple words a motto for my life: “Get real!” This year I discovered more than ever how “fake” people can be, and it has been driving me crazy. There is nothing that irritates me more than someone who acts one way around a person and then turns around and totally changes who they are. It eventually becomes impossible to tell who that person really is. Even some of my closest friends do it. I think the main reason behind their roleplaying is that they want to be accepted by all groups of people. In order to try to complete this insane task, they turn into the type of person that the people around them want them to be. Some people are really good at playing this little charade game.

The sad part about the whole situation is that the person eventually has no idea who he (or she) really is. He has become so caught up in trying to please people that he has forgotten what he stands for. I have decided that I never want that to be me. I am going to “get real.” I don't want to be a “two-faced” person who goes from group to group acting completely different. I have made it a point to look into my life and find out who I really am. The more that I look into who I really am, the more I discover how important it is to have God be central to that person.

I have found that the main thing that defines who I am is my faith. It is so awesome that I have something in my life that will never be fake. God is never going to act like someone that He is not. I guess the thing that makes me the most passionate about being real is the fact that God knows who I really am. There is no point in pretending like I am someone else. Even if I were the best actress in Hollywood, I still wouldn't be able to fool God. So why even go through the trouble? The only opinion that really matters is God’s. I want to encourage you all to “get real.” You would not believe how much easier it is to be the same person all the time than to act like a different person from time to time.