Twenty years ago you would have never heard the expression, "a real person," because we were all real and thought of others that way. Now the term is common due to digital voices that speak to us when we call the phone or credit card companies, doctor’s offices, service providers and an array of others. At times I’ve been frustrated and said to The Voice, “I want to talk to a REAL person!” then hung up because that wasn’t one of my options.

Relationships with real people are vital to our emotional health where we give as well as receive encouragement, support, advice, love, acceptance, and sometimes physical help. When bereft of connections providing these things, we can waste away emotionally and physically. With the rise of social media, a false sense of belonging can superficially fill the void in the short term, but is not what our hearts long for.

It’s ironic that of all the relationships we’ll have while on this earth, the most important one is with a person that some people think is unreal—that is the Lord Jesus Christ. After his death and resurrection, hundreds of people saw him at one time and he frequently appeared to smaller groups of his followers. Even now, Christ lives and makes himself available to us 24/7 no matter where we are. Though physically intangible, his presence is very real when we spend time communicating with him, worshipping him, and just being aware of his creation and work in the world.

The next time we feel excluded or rejected, we have only to whisper his name and tell him whatever is on our heart. He listens. He understands. He accepts and he loves us, because he is as real as any other being in this big, beautiful universe.