If it's not real, it will fade

Day one: I had just gotten a glorious airbrush tan. Walking around with my freshly bronzed skin, I felt like a sun goddess. It was so nice to finally have some color - halfway through summer and I had been longing for that glow.

Day two: I went swimming with some friends. Putting on a swimsuit was an exciting event because I had a tan and everyone knows that tanned cellulite looks much better than pasty cellulite. :-) I looked down at my arms and legs and sighed with contentment at my brown skin.

Day three: I noticed that being in the pool the day before made my tan start to disappear. Still, I had my summer glow so I planned to enjoy it while I could. I lathered on the cocoa butter to make sure my skin was staying moisturized. I went to a pool party feeling so good about being in a swimsuit yet again.

Day four: Sadness. I could really start to see my tan fading. Two consecutive nights of swimming had accelerated the demise of my beautiful airbrush tan. I had a little glow but it was fading. I just kept lathering that cocoa butter lotion!

Day five: My tan was almost gone - fading fast and there was not enough cocoa butter out there to keep it alive.

Day six: It's pretty much gone. All of that "feeling good" about myself is pretty much gone, too. Why did I tie my tan to my self esteem? I blame Victoria's Secret. :-)

Moral of the Story: If it's not real, it will fade. My airbrush tan was a temporary illusion that made me feel good about myself and there’s nothing wrong with that. But, how many times do we allow something counterfeit to make us feel better for a few minutes, hours or days only to end up in the same place we started? (In some cases worse.) And, how many times do we allow the swimming pool of life to tarnish our spirit? Probably more often than we’d like to admit.

I want to live a life that that is real, a life that will not fade while I'm here or after I'm gone. I want a "glow" that doesn't disappear after a couple of days of "swimming." That kind of glow comes from within - from the best part of me - Him.

We all go through trials, pain, disappointment - struggles that have the potential to erode the beauty that should be emanating. The only way to keep that from happening is to lather ourselves with God. Talk to Him. Spend time with Him. Allow Him to fill us up with the REAL, good stuff from His word.

Tip: If you want a glow that doesn't fade, ask the Holy Spirit - He's the best in the business.