What is real?

  McDonough, Henry County and Georgia, if not the whole country, lost a visionary and a remarkable man recently with the death of Andy Davis. His art through sculpture can and will never be equaled and neither will the passion and creativity he held in his heart and his hands. He touched not only McDonough, but all those with whom he came in contact, and we who knew him are far better for having known him and experienced him. And, being around Andy was truly an experience you never forget.

  As the news began to spread around Facebook and other social media, the first responses were “this cannot be real. It must be a mistake.” But, as more details became known, the reality began to spread over McDonough with a tangible feeling. Our City was no longer the same. But, it was real. As much as we did not want it to be, it was real. I also have friends on Tybee that have lost loved ones in recent weeks and months and their grief and sorrow is real. The world they have known is no longer the same. What they thought was real, has changed.

  As you think about the world about us, it seems that few things are real any longer and it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine reality. False fingernails look real; all manner of plastic surgery and procedures, if done well, can turn back the clock and cause us to look much younger and fresher than we actually are; we wear different types of hair pieces that changes our appearance temporarily; your house may have cracks and holes that can be covered up with some paint so that you wouldn’t know they were there, but the problems are still underneath, so you see a false reality; and on and on. Are those really your favorite musicians singing, or are they lip-syncing? It seems that our world today is intent on disguising what is real with what is unreal.

  So, the question is how do we know what is real or not? Is there anything we can depend on for being real? Life is real, for a season, and then it changes. We age and then we die. Appearances can be real, or enhanced. Our finances can look real on paper, but “not so real” in actuality. Friendships may seem real, but can disappear at a moment’s notice.

  It is my belief that there is only one thing is life that is real….constantly real….past, present and future real and never changes. That one thing is God. The scriptures tell us that “He will never leave us or forsake us,” and that “Jesus is exactly the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.” He is the only person and His words are the only thing in this world that will never change. Even though the world around us is changing constantly and things appear real that are only a front, God remains the same.

  If you trust in Him, believe in Him and live for Him, we can be assured that we will live with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven someday. That is a real promise and will never change. But, as long as we live here on Earth, we will need to deal with things that are not real; people that are not real, so we need to make sure that we are rooted and grounded in the one thing that is guaranteed real. God, through His Son, Jesus.

  When the fake fingernails come off, when the botox wears down, when the tattoos fade and sag away, when life takes away those we love, find consolation that God is real. And He loves you forever and always. Really.

  And for today my friends, this has been the gospel according to Jimmy.