Fake Falls

(Pictures of waterfall on the Big Island of Hawaii, 2005)

We live in a desert which means winter can sometimes surprise us. Last Wednesday evening, Amy (Eric’s fiancé who lives with us) shouted, “It’s snowing!” Craig and I threw open the back door, letting the strange sensation of frigid air assault our faces. We gazed toward our waterfall where snow swirled in the light rays reflecting off the water. After about ten seconds, we shut out the intrusive chill and peered out through the French doors.

It’s strange to have snow in the desert. It’s also odd to have a waterfall, which is artificial of course. We paid someone to construct it and I know it isn’t real. But I love it. Not because it’s fake but because it reminds me of something authentic. I’ve experience true waterfalls; plunging down steep cliffs in Hawaii, cascading in the Colorado Rockies. I’ve sat beside a river while rushing water splashed over rocks and tumbled into swirling pools, seeming to echo the voice of the Lord.

Our waterfall is fake, but it helps me to remember something real. Every nativity set in my house is artificial but each one reminds me of the real live fact that God, our Great and Glorious, Untouchable God became a human baby so we could relate to Him, person to person. But holding the tiny porcelain figure of the baby Jesus in my hands is not the same as holding Him in my heart.

Some may think that going to church, or being historically interested in Jesus or saying a ‘sinner’s prayer’ is enough. It’s not. That’s like pointing to a wedding picture and declaring, “I’m married, but I don’t know my husband. I don’t live with him, and I have no idea about what he thinks about me or the way I live.” Just as a wedding ceremony confirms an existing growing love, true committed faith will continue to increase over time.

Jesus came to establish authentic relationships with real people. Knowing Him requires total commitment, full disclosure, and absolute authenticity. He’s is alive and a relationship with Him is also living. It’s as far from stagnant as a waterfall is from a slimy pond. This Christmas, let’s look past the icons into the eyes of Jesus who says, “If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within." John 7:38.