Walking through a store that is about thirty minutes from home I encountered a group of ladies blocking one of the aisles. I tried to slip out into the store around them when one of the women says, “Well, look who we have here!” Not thinking she was talking to me, I put my head down and kept moving. The lady then says in a louder voice, “Hey Ken.”

Noticing her eyes were looking at me, I did what every person would do; I looked behind me to see if someone was close by that she was addressing. I did not see anyone near me, so I turned back to her and said, “Are you talking to me?”

Finally, when she heard my voice, she told the rest of her group, “That’s not Ken.” They all seemed disappointed and went back to their conversation.

I continued walking through the store, and my mind began to think about our identity. From what I gather Ken is a stunningly handsome man who is fortunate enough to look like me. He also lives in the area and is usually seen visiting this establishment. The look was right, and the location was correct, but the substance was wrong. I am not Ken.

The people who claim to follow Jesus can be a deceiving group. Many of them go to the right locations like Church meetings and special holiday programs. Many of them have the right look as they carry their Bible (or have the Bible app) and post spiritual things on social media. Unfortunately, they lack the substance to be the real thing. They are not Christians.

A Christian is not someone who looks the part, their identity is wrapped up in Christ, and their actions reflect his will for their lives. Faith is about our substance and not our style.

Looks can certainly be deceiving, even in the Church, but hopefully not in the mirror.