The Problem of Pretending
Sep 3rd, 2008 by ljkim
There’s something about New York that makes it so easy to pretend. Maybe it’s all the movies, or maybe it’s the amplified expectations of having millions of people your age (whatever your age happens to be) around. People pretend they’re smarter, or more successful, or sophisticated, that sort of thing. I’ve seen so many perfectly sensible young people come from elsewhere and start playing roles in their minds of how they’re supposed to live.
The problem with pretending is that it eventually puts us out of touch with reality. Instead of figuring out what life is about, pretending allows us to begin with a made-up answer and ignore the reality of who we are. For instance pretending keeps us from asking ourselves, “Why am I so insecure that I feel the need to pretend in the first place?” “Where do I get my worth?” “What am I here for?” And it keeps us from growing genuinely. It also keeps us from making meaningful personal connections with people…and a personal connection with God. God wants to give you a worth and glory rooted in his love and tied to who you are in reality. Pretending gets in the way of that.
I know oftentimes churches are not exempt from this pretending problem. “Christian” groups often have their own force-field as to how people are supposed to behave, and sound, and dress and act. But Jesus didn’t fall for that. He was who he was, and he expected his disciples to be who they were as they followed him. Therefore church (and all of life) needs to be a no-pretending zone. I think this is actually *part* of what Jesus meant when he said that truth would set you free.
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