For so many years, I felt like an imposter. That nobody would believe me or want to associate with me if I told them what went on inside. I would nod knowingly when other people would talk, but wouldn't contribute much to the conversation.
I wanted to be a real person. But what is real?
Real is being who you truly are, inside. Real is admitting where you are, but with the knowledge that you want to grow or can grow in the future. Real is when you read or see or hear something that resonates within you as good and lovely and right. Real is never having to pretend.
Being real means telling yourself (and others) the truth about who you are. What you stand for. Being real means not allowing yourself to be thought of as an object. When someone close to you treats you as an object, you tend to start thinking of yourself that way. You are a beautiful child of God's, and never to be treated as an object.
When you are afraid of letting others see the real you, you might project a different "you"--mimicking others around you. This is definitely not being real. It comes from shame you are feeling about the "real" you--something you should never feel. You are a beautiful child of God's, and not something to feel shamed about.
Contrary to Pinocchio's story, being real is not about being "good." It is about being loving.
When I allow God to refine me, to get rid of those bits of dross and ugliness inside, the closer I get in my relationship to God and the more real I become. When I allow God to show the real me to others, I am loving others as He would have me love them.
"How ridiculous I was as a Marionette! And how happy I am, now that I have become a real boy!"--Adventures of Pinocchio
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."--Philippians 4:8