Lessons from China: Don’t Build a Fake

The city of Lijiang in the Yunnan province of China is lovely, intriguing, and….. fake.

My husband and I heard from several people that this ancient Chinese city was worth the trip. I became excited about visiting this historic landmark when I saw pictures of it online.

The city of Lijiang is on the road to Tibet at the foot of the Himalayas. It is near the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (read about our trip to this mountain here) and is full of traditional pagoda-style buildings. (In the words of my three-year-old grandson, they are the houses with the dragon roofs.) Some people even think that Lijiang was the original Shangri-la.

So my family and I took a long train trip to see this ancient city and what we discovered was … a fake.

It turns out that much of Lijiang was destroyed in an earthquake in 1996. Many of the the modern concrete buildings did not survive the devastation, but some of the traditional-style buildings did. So they decided to rebuild the city using the old ways. Now the city looks ancient, but is actually quite new. In fact, “Old Lijiang” is constantly expanding.

Even worse, while we walked the new cobblestone streets, we discovered that every “ancient building” was a souvenir shop. Everywhere you looked, the fake old buildings shouted out, “Look here! Buy this! Purchase that!”

Lijiang was a disappointment.

But it was also a reminder of what I sometimes do. When things in my life break apart, I try to fix them by myself. I attempt to rebuild my reputation in a way that looks real on the outside. I strive to form an image that draws attention. But it’s a fake. It’s not the real me.

What God wants is authenticity. David wrote in Psalm 51:6:

Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. (ESV)

Often I’m trying to be something that I’m not because I don’t think who I am is good enough. Or like the Lijiang city planners, I think building a fake will get more attention.

Anyone else out there building a fake?

What I have to remember, what we all have to remember, is that yes, we are broken. The earthquake of sin has destroyed the people God meant us to be.

BUT, through faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross, God can rebuild us into something whole and lovely and authentic.

We don’t have to pretend to be beautiful. In Christ we already are.

We don’t have to fake righteousness. Jesus’ blood has made us pure.

We don’t have to act important. In God’s eyes, each one of us is precious.

When you start doubt this–when you begin to resort to rebuilding yourself in a world-pleasing and fake way–remember the words of Ephesians 2:10:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (NLT)

Next step: When are you tempted to be fake? Rejoice that God loves you just as you are!