Playing Pretend

When I was a little girl I used to love playing ‘pretend’. My imagination would conjure up real life scenarios of which I would act out. This would be anything from being a wife, a mother, a schoolteacher; anything occupying my own land. Each component was totally under my power and control. I was my own scriptwriter, I wrote my own endings. As age outstretched me, I grew up and lost interest in playing my childhood ‘pretend’ games.

The definition for the word pretend is to make believe, to appear falsely or as to deceive. It is not real, it may feel and appear real but in reality there is no definitive line. The edges are blurred and what you think you see is nothing but a warped perception of a very real reality.

My question to us today is,

Do you play pretend in your life?

Life has taught me that children are not the only ones with imaginary friends but adults have them too. Adults can get caught up in the game. This can be in not wanting to face certain people or situations in our lives, burying deep emotions built up from circumstances we have or may still be going through, or acting as if everything is ok when really it is not. A case of not acknowledging the truth or wanting to accept a truth in our lives.

When I used to play pretend I got to a point where I had to remember that what I was playing was not actually real. There would be times where I got so caught up in a game that when I stepped out of it I felt weird, like a different person. So what am I saying? I am not saying that children cannot use their imaginations to play pretend, but what I am saying is that adults cannot play pretend in life and think that their pretense is real.

My mom would always call me for dinner or I would get bored of playing pretend. Life has a way of waking us up from our sleep. There has to be an acknowledgment of truth in our lives in order for us to stop playing. It becomes dangerous if we continue to accept its invitation to play after a certain age.

Yes there are times when we do not want to face the world or anything in it. Days we just want to hide and shut away. However you cannot let a time or season like this turn into an eternity. Facing your own pretense is a good thing as it causes you to see what is real and allows you to move on.

We all need to move on and learn how to handle situations we encounter. Letting go of what was and moving towards what can be. Being held in your past or present is no good thing, being set free from your past and making the right decisions in your present can make way for a better future.

Wise counsel, guidance, advice and true genuine relationships are needed but we must accept truth. Without truth we can live in a world of make believe, deceiving ourselves to the reality of our lives and who we are.