One time, he not only brought back stories of his trip, but also a gift for a few members of the management team. He came into my office bearing a small bag with a gift in it. I reached in, pulled out the gift and was astonished. It was a nice, thick, gold Rolex watch he had gotten a great deal on while in England. It looked just like the picture above.
The thing was if you looked at the face of the watch very, very closely, you would notice the name on the watch was "Rolux," not "Rolex." It was funny how no one ever noticed the difference. We sported our Rolux watches around the office and in front of friends, showing them how valuable we were to the company, keeping the story alive and well.
When we had enough fun with it, we finally shared the truth.
It was almost impossible to tell the difference between those watches at a glance. To do so would require the person looking at them very closely otherwise the hoax would go unnoticed.
Today, even more than back then, it is difficult to tell the difference between the real thing and the imitation. Today, it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between real and imitation gold, silver, diamonds, wood floors, leather, fur, chrome, ceramic, crystal, and the list goes on.
I heard it said for some, leasing a car is the way to drive what they really cannot afford. For some, the intent is to cause others to think they are more financially successful than they are. They look like they are something they are not.
Today, the only time a person might believe there is a Christian driving some cars displaying an Ichthus (the sign of the fish) on the trunk is when the car is sitting still in a parking lot. I have seen several cars with an Ichthus proudly displayed while the driver is running red lights, stop signs, passing on double yellow lines, and going 20 miles an hour over the speed limit. While the driver declares to the world he/she is a person who lives by Christian principles, they guiltlessly violate traffic laws and perhaps give those around them the impression that Christianity is not all it is cracked up to be.
When one sees a parked car with an Ichthus on it, it would be easy to believe the owner of the car may indeed be a person who lives by Christian principles. However, upon closer observation, like following that person in traffic, one might get a different impression.
It seems so much of our world today is built on appearances. We can wear things that are not real and we can drive things we can't afford to buy. People can change their physical appearance in so many ways it is crazy. Say you'd like higher cheek bones - no problem. It is difficult to think of much that can't be altered, changed, or imitated.
I would be afraid to be a 20 year old guy these days. You could feasibly meet a very attractive looking woman who appears to be in her late twenties only to one day find out she is seventy. Heck, you could even buy a Rolex and get a Rolux.
Could any of that be why love is so hard to hang on to. Are we imitating what we would like people to think we are rather than being who we really are? Do we wake up one day with a person who is not who we thought they were? Could that person be us?
Are we being authentic or are we merely an imitation ?
In this world we find it almost impossible to tell the imitation from the real thing. Are we being the real thing? Do our lives and actions exhibit what is really in the inside?
Rather than spending a lifetime striving for a better car, bigger home, more cash, or a Rolex, wouldn't it be better to strive to be authentic? To really be who we are and who we say we are.
Every day we get up and greet our family, we have the chance to be authentic. Every time we get into our car, Ichthus or not, we have the chance to be authentic. Every day we are at work, in a store, at the doctors office, at the bank, or when grabbing a tasty roll and coffee at the coffee shop, we have the chance to be authentic.
We have a choice to make. Do we want to live a life that truly exhibits what we say we are or are we okay being vinyl while pretending to be leather? Are we okay wearing an Ichthus on the outside but not living it on the inside?
It is a choice.
Do you want to be a Rolex or a Rolux?
It is all up to you.
The picture below is of an Ichthus