Most likely, you’ve heard the story of the boy who cried wolf. It is Aesop’s fable about the dangers of manipulation and deception. In the story, a bored shepherd boy amuses himself by calling for help from villagers against a non-existent wolf. In the end, a real wolf does attack, but the villagers ignore the boy’s earnest cries assuming he is lying again.

Unfortunately, many don’t heed Aesop’s warning. It can be tempting to claim disaster and hardship where there is none to gain attention, compassion, and even a financial windfall. For example, some high-profile GoFundMe cases have included fabricated sob stories of needy individuals. (Although GoFundMe works very hard to weed out such scams.) In other cases, fraudsters create fake websites for real charities to divert donations, or simply invent charities altogether to solicit funds from caring and generous people.

While disaster fraud is common, there is another kind of fraud that’s even more common today. This is the widespread phenomenon of a curated online presence. In many recent polls, a vast majority of people using social media admitted to filtering and fabricating their content to showcase a polished, envy-inducing reality. They stage photos, filter selfies, steal images from others, or simply make up stories about their beautiful, adventurous lives.

It certainly looks good on the outside, but this kind of bifurcated and dissonant existence leads to low self-esteem, depression, loneliness, and exhaustion. It puts an enormous strain on relationships as dishonesty prevents intimacy.

This is not what God wants for you.

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Psalms‬ ‭145‬:‭18,‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

God wants your truth. He doesn’t want formality. He doesn’t want the pretty lies. He knows your flaws and your struggles already. There is no need to hide or put on a brave face. You don’t need to dress up or stand, sit, or kneel in any particular way.

The Creator of the universe also created you. For Him to show up, all He requires from you is to be real. He wants a real relationship with you. So, open your heart to this loving Being and talk the way you talk. Show him your mess. Ask for His help. Show Him what you are excited about, thankful for, worried about, or afraid of. Just be the real you that He loves so much.

Dear God, thank you for your beautiful presence and love. I am so relieved that I can just come to you the way I am and be who I am. I am so grateful for your forgiveness, patience, and compassion. Teach me how to be authentic in all my relationships and love others the way you love me.