In Hollywood, there’s a famous road with all sorts of fake grocery stores, movie theaters, and homes. It’s where a lot of famous movie scenes are filmed. It looks real, enticing, and glamorous. But actually, the whole set is made of flimsy plywood and a lot of paint.

Like this street in Hollywood, many people walk around wearing a veneer or persona. We portray ourselves in a way that shows we’re someone special; we act like we have it all together. I remember doing this when I was in college. I portrayed myself as a real academic, a literature snob. I was someone who knew his way around poetry. Sure, deep down I enjoyed reading, but I put on a facade to enhance what others really thought of me. I also did this because I didn’t quite know who I was at my core.

After I received Christ as my personal Savior, I no longer needed to wear a veneer. I didn’t have to impress people any longer, or try to be someone I wasn’t. I felt peace in knowing that my real identity now belonged to God.      2 Corinthians 6:16 in the Bible says, “We are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’”

Are you wearing a veneer? If so, run to Jesus! Rest in who He says you are.                  

This is Andrew Palau.