Let's Pretend

             Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

 

In the name of honesty, I’ll tell you that I’m coming to this verse with frustration, and I’ll admit that I may be guilty of hypocrisy. I don’t think I am, but it’s possible. And the more I think about it, the more I see a sad truth all around me. People don’t want to think about what’s true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. For some, it might be that they just don’t want to think. For others – and this might be the largest group – it’s because they imagine that what fits all those characteristics requires that we live in a world of “Let’s pretend.”

Let’s pretend that someone is whatever they want to be.

Let’s pretend that our audience is filled with people who haven’t a clue, and therefore we can speak a message that’s more shallow than a piece of paper rather than taking the time to study and prepare something more interesting and at least an inch deep.

Let’s build a pretend life in which we get up when we want to and spend the day playing with “baby goats” in pajamas and “baby chickens” in tutus, then wandering through the garden and casually picking from an abundance of fruits of vegetables that somehow miraculously just grew.

The list can go on, and undoubtedly, we each have our own version of “let’s pretend.” But that’s not what Scripture tells us. Instead, we are to think of things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. Often, the things that fit that description don’t cater to our preferences. That’s what makes them fit the description.