Let’s Stop Pretending
A BIRD can fly. So can I. A cow can moo. I can too. I can grab like a crab I can squirm like a worm. . . . . . . . . . I can play I’m anything that’s anything. That’s my way.[i]
“I can play / I’m anything that’s anything.” So children pretend. But don’t grownups pretend too? They certainly do. They pretend to be anything and everything. They especially like pretending to be good.
Now what happens when a child pretends? When a child pretends to fly, he imagines that he is flying. He says he is flying. But is he? No. Can grownups do any better? Are we good if we just pretend?
People can pretend to be anything. There are no limits. And because there are no limits, there are no fears. Who is afraid of falling who pretends to fly? In the real world fear keeps us from danger. But those who pretend to be good aren’t afraid of being bad.
No one can stop us from pretending. In the real world, God sets the limits. There are no limits to make-believe because God does not live in a make-believe world. But many people do. God is calling for them to return. They pretend he isn’t there.
What can God do? He can speak to them from the inside—through their conscience. He can speak to them through their experiences—through pain, failure and loss. He can speak to them through other people who are not pretending and through the Bible.
What if they refuse to listen? If they continue to pretend he isn’t there—they’ll never know the truth. Someday they may want to know it, they may search for it, but they will not find it. They will not be able to find the way out of their pretend world. It will be like a nightmare with no awakening.
You probably know someone who is pretending. Perhaps you’re thinking about that someone right now. But what about you? When God speaks, do you listen? Let’s stop pretending and seek the Lord while he may be found.
See Proverbs 1:20-33 and Isaiah 55:6-8
[i] I Can Fly, Ruth Krauss, Little Golden Books