Are You Pretending?

Make no mistake about it: we live in an EXTREMELY materialistic world. We are surrounded by nice cars, big expensive houses, beautiful clothing, flat-screen HD tv’s, tempting advertisements, and pressure to become “filthy rich”. Most Christians would rather not talk about this, they like to put this fact to the side, and simply blend into their surroundings without getting too caught up in the madness.

But let’s talk about this, and not discard what might be an important thing to consider for you and your family.

I titled this post “are you pretending” because I came across a verse this morning that kind of struck me with an uneasy feeling. Maybe it will strike you too…

Proverbs 13:7

There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; Another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth.

In case you haven’t noticed, many people pretend. You see your neighbor driving a brand new BMW, move into a bigger house, or even tote a new Louis Vuitton bag. Chances are, this is an object bought for status, for a remote inner pride, and for a partial hope of acceptance.

Of course, there are people who can afford material things like this, but for the most part, many people cannot.

Just because these facts might be true, doesn’t mean we should give into judging. By no means should we catch ourselves in that web, and cast a judgmental eye on our neighbor.

I am telling you all of this because I want you to be careful. Careful of what might tempt you, careful of ways in which you might be “pretending”. Personally, I struggle with this A LOT. I think my life would be “perfect” if I had a certain amount in the bank. I would feel secure, better protected, and free to live my life the way I wanted to. It has been a long, slow process for the Lord to grow me in this area. Daily He reminds me that we were put on this earth for something MUCH greater than acquiring wealth, His plans are beyond what we might think is “perfect” for ourselves.

Look more closely at this verse. The second part describes the complete opposite. A wealthy man pretending to be poor…But why?

This man has the wealth to buy the bigger house, the fast car, the nice clothing. Why would he settle for less?

This is where the meat of the situation comes in…humility.

What if you had $1,000,000 handed to you today? What would you do with it? Would you go out right away and start spending?

Would it be crazy to say that most people shouldn’t have that amount handed to them? I know that wouldn’t be good for me! The Lord has caused me to grow so much closer to Him the moment He took away financial security. Why would you want to miss out on that growth?

I am reminded time and time again by God’s word that His provision and His guidance are much different from society’s status quo. It is His voice we need to listen to, yet we often listen to the woes and pressures of the world.

Today I want you to think about this verse. Which way are you leaning? Are you practicing true humility? Think about what that would look like in your life right now. Maybe you would live drastically different…