Air Guitar Faith

So, what’s on my mind?

I’ll admit that this is a little nit-picky, but have you ever been watching a movie, TV show, or even a commercial, and an actor is supposed to be doing something you actually know how to do… and they’re doing a terrible job? For example, if you play guitar. You spot it instantly. Their fingers are nowhere near the right chords, strumming patterns don’t match the rhythm, and it’s closer to “air guitar” than playing an actual guitar. Or if you’re into sports, it might be even worse. A character is supposed to be a star athlete, and within three seconds you’re thinking, “That guy has never played basketball in his life.”

I used to let that kind of thing ruin the whole scene for me. The illusion was broken. I couldn’t unsee it. Once you know what something is supposed to look like, the fake version just stands out. Lately, though, I’ve been wondering if that same dynamic shows up in our faith. Not in a judgmental, finger-pointing way, but in an honest, reflective kind of way. Because when you spend time around the teachings of Jesus, really paying attention to things like grace, humility, forgiveness, generosity, you start to get a sense of what those things actually look like in real life. And once you do, the “air guitar” version of faith becomes a little easier to spot.

You know what I mean: when kindness is more about being seen than actually caring, when forgiveness is talked about but not practiced, when love is conditional, or when faith is more about appearances than transformation. It can look right from a distance… but up close, something feels off.

Now here’s the important part. This isn’t just about noticing it in others. If I’m being honest, there are plenty of times I catch myself doing a version of “air guitar faith.” Going through the motions. Saying the right things. Looking the part… but missing the heart of it. The good news is that Jesus isn’t looking for a perfect performance. He’s not grading us on how convincing we look from the outside. What He invites us into is something much better: the real thing. A genuine, growing, sometimes messy but authentic life of following Him. And unlike a movie scene, we don’t have to fake it. We can learn. We can grow. We can get better over time.

So maybe this week, instead of critiquing the actors on the screen (though, let’s be honest, that’s still kind of fun), we take a moment to reflect on our own lives. Not with guilt, but with curiosity, asking ourselves: Where is my faith genuine and growing? Where am I just going through the motions? And what would it look like to lean a little more into the real thing?

May God hold you,
Rev Chris Hester