My office is in the basement of the church where I work. This is not a complaint; it is a great office, but it has pros and cons. One of the things I love about it is that it has stained glass windows that flood the room with colored light when the sun is to the east. The downside, however, is that there is not a ton of natural light coming in so I can’t have real plants*.

To “liven up the place,” I have several fake plants scattered about that at least add the appearance of life and growth. The newest “plant” in my foliage collection is an orchid made of Lego bricks. I love Lego and I remember the first time I saw this Lego set assembled. I had been at a friend’s house for about an hour when I realized that the plant I had noticed earlier in the evening was not only fake, but it was actually made of Lego. Don’t get me wrong, when you look at it, it’s obvious that this is not a real plant. However, as Lego sets go, this is far and above the typical stud-covered pixel art that most Lego sets aspire to. Of all of the Lego sets I have ever built, and there have been many, this one probably does the best job of mimicking its real-life muse. From the right distance and at the right angle, you might even be able to pass this one off as the real thing. 

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As I was assembling this set, I heard the Lord whisper to me, “No matter how close it looks, this will never be real.” This “plant” is not alive. It will not mature and it will not wither. I could add water and fertilizer to its little brick pot but those things would never be consumed and their would never be growth. Assembling this botanical model led me to ask myself a pretty big question. Am I producing real fruit or am I simply assembling a really convincing model. 

This is a question we should ask ourselves regularly. We should consistently evaluate our lives and our character to make sure they are in line with who God has called us to be. Unfortunately, we far too often go the other direction. Instead of striving to produce authentic fruit, we strive to craft the appearance of these fruits while also working to keep people at the right distance and the right angles. We show them what we want them to see and tell them what we want them to hear rather that inviting them into authentic and vulnerable relationships in which we can help each other produce lasting fruit. What we often want is raving fans when what we truly need are real friends. We need is the right people around us who can spot our fake fruit and help guide us back towards authentic growth. 

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The truth is, just like that Lego set, if we keep people at the right distance and at the right angles, we can fake just about anything. If we keep our relationships at arms length and only let people see our highlight reels, we can easily make it look like we’ve got life all figured out. We can make it look like we are thriving and living on top of the world even if we are miserable, broken, and at our depths. 

Matthew 7:15-20 reminds us to “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit, you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit, you will recognize them.”

This passage reminds me that no matter what I do, I’ll never get real flowers from that Lego pot. And we’ll never bear true kingdom fruit if we aren’t planting true fruits of the spirit in our lives. We have to regularly ask ourselves if we are producing genuine fruit or merely assembling a convincing facade. We have to constantly evaluate our lives and seek God’s guidance to ensure that our actions align with our true values and purpose.

Additionally, we have to surround ourselves with authentic accountability. It is essential to have the right people around us who can discern between real and fake fruit. We need genuine relationships that provide that level of accountability and support. When we allow trusted people to see behind the curtain, they can guide us towards authentic growth and help us stay true to who God has called us to be. Building those strong and transparent relationships helps us avoid the temptation of presenting a false image to the world.

Today, lets commit to being aware of the authenticity of our lives and character, seeking genuine growth rather than settling for surface-level appearances. For my Lego orchid, it doesn’t take long to recognize that you are looking at a fake. Don’t let the same be said of your life. Live the kind of life that invites people in and allows them to see real and genuine evidence of God at work within you. 

*To be fair, my office could probably be a literal greenhouse and I would still struggle to cultivate living plants. It’s a real struggle.