Having been both a student and teacher of public speaking, I’ve had to learn a lot about body language. Has anyone else noticed similar gestures, eye contact, hand movement and nodding heads on those in the public eye? When they want you to agree with them, there is a constant bobbing of the head which makes these celebrities look like those plastic images made to look like them. So much is based on a bobbing head. When we want total agreement on an issue, it requires nodding the head in a positive way. When we wish for the opposite reaction, the up and down movement goes horizontal. Hands are also an issue which drive me crazy. When we talk, we often use our hands to express ourselves. Politicians often hold their hands out to the audience and mechanically move them up and down. Instead of honesty personified, it looks more like a mime or an AI in action. In effect, all these moves, in my opinion, only show a lack of knowing how to present oneself honestly. It all looks very fake to me.

With an election so near, it’s obvious that there’s a pattern here. Someone must’ve developed it in ancient days to be more convincing to the audience. Those body language issues have become so antiquated, yet we still see them in almost every political ad out there. Not only are we forced to hear the same rhetoric over and over through a political campaign, but we must endure these same monotonous, orchestrated bits of so-called communication.

I believe honesty prevails in our effort to communicate physically, vocally and when our message is true and reliable. When everyone is using the same actions, it’s pretty hard to have confidence in any of them. So what does God have to say about it?

Proverbs 12:19 ESV – “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”

A good actor can be very convincing and believable, but he is simply playing a part. Is this also true of politicians, athletes and people in the entertainment business. Shakespeare spoke of life as being like a play when he penned these words.

“All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances and one man in his time plays many parts. His acts being seven ages.”

So where do we stand in the scheme of things? Is life just a staged event, with everyone taking on a specific character? I know that life itself was created by God. He had an amazing vision of what it would be. He created us with skills and attributes that could contribute to His design, yet a true heart is all He wanted – one that would be honest in their relationship with Him and obedient to Him. Instead of being puppets, mimes, bobbleheads or politicians, He made us for a purpose. He has also given you the means to accomplish it. Find yours today.