Who are you pretending to be?

"All mortals eventually become what they are pretending to be." - Uncle Screwtape, from C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters

Reading from this book last night, this passage hit me particularly hard, in two ways. First, there are things that I don't picture myself as, that my actions probably say I am. It made me ask: what do my actions say about who I am, and how does that line up with or contradict who I think I am? For instance, I say it's stupid to be obsessed with celebrities, but every once in a while I find myself stealing glances at the Life section of USA Today or sneaking a quick peak at who's dating whom on the AOL entertainment page. My words say one thing, my actions say something else. What about you? Do you say you're recovered but still sneak a drink once in a while? Do you say you're faithful to your wife, but just like to flirt a little? Right now, you are faithful, but you're pretending to be unfaithful. Will you eventually become what you're pretending to be? Will I?

On the other hand, if our actions are positive, we can use them to improve our attitude. As a runner, I know that even on days I don't feel like going out, often just a short 1/2 mile or mile jog will help improve my attitude to the point where I'm able to complete the entire workout. By pretending to be a runner that day, even if I don't feel like one, I can become one.

An old pastor friend of mine used to say it this way: Right thoughts follow right actions. At times, even when we don't feel like doing something positive, we can do it, and then we'll feel like it. So, here are some things that may aspire to. Maybe we should pretend to be them, so we will become them:

Want to be generous? Try giving.
Want to be loved? Try loving someone.
Want to be joyful? Try laughing.
Want to have a friend? Try being one.
Want to be forgiven? Try forgiving.

Peace.