Hi, all. Just a thought to help start your weekend.

I watched this dragonfly as it flittered around the back yard. At times, it was very fast, going from one perch to the next with no rhyme or reason. And then, for several seconds at a time, it would stop and light somewhere. One of those places was on this plastic butterfly staked in a flowerpot.

A real dragonfly sits on a fake butterfly. Dragonfly/Butterfly. Both of those creatures are God-made. Both can be beautiful in color, graceful, and fascinating to watch. Both are interesting. And yet one of these is fake.

The world is indeed interesting. It is full of so many beautiful things and creatures. Some are more graceful than others, and some are certainly more fascinating than others to behold. But the catch is that while so many are very real, there are so many others that are very fake.

What about people with whom you associate yourself? What about your friends? What about, sadly, the church you may attend? Are we perceptive enough to know who or what is fake or real? It takes time, it takes effort, and it takes patience.

As well, we must ask ourselves this question — Do others see me as real or as fake? Am I truly a Godly example of what a loving Christian human being should be? Would it be easy to pick a “real” me out of a “fake” crowd?

The Bible (Matthew 7:15) warns us to beware of the wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing. Be perceptive enough to know the real from the fake. AND, be honest enough to ask yourself if you are indeed being the real, honest example you’ve been called to be, or if your life is simply a sly example of the real thing.

We flit and flutter from one place to the next so very quickly in our lives. Make it a point to light with those who are real. Leave the fake ones alone. Sooner or later they will crumble and fall.

Just a thought. ’Til later.

Brad Campbell can be reached at mastah.pastah@yahoo.com.