No Pretense

A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life.  Proverbs 13:7  

Pretentious is defined as; attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc. than is actually possessed. 

I know people, as most of us do,  who sometimes can’t help themselves – they become pretentious during certain situations.   It’s important for them to lift themselves up in front of others in order to make themselves look special or important.  The sad thing is that most of the time, the very people they are trying to impress are the ones who are the least vulnerable to the ruse.

One of my favorite movies is Steel Magnolias, and I am especially fond of Drum, the father.  He is a salty character who has no problem saying exactly what he is thinking.  My favorite line comes from Shelby when she says, Daddy always says, an ounce of pretension is worth a pound of manure.  So true.

This past week, Randy and I took the two younger grandsons to Great Wolf Lodge in LaGrange, and I have to say it’s impressive.  One of the things you notice in the first few minutes in the water park is that there is no pretension there.  The guests of all ages, shapes, sizes, colors, ethnicity, backgrounds, and genders are all in swim suits.   No one is worried about what others think, how they compare, how much weight they need to gain or lose, how their hair looks, how old they are, or their economic status.  They are accepted in the group because there is no pretense here.

I thought that heaven must be like this.  No pretense.  Everyone is on an equal footing.  It doesn’t matter how many degrees you have, how rich you are, how beautiful, how handsome, how smart, how successful, how talented, how famous, how beaten down by life, or how perfect or awful you look in a swimsuit, everyone is loved exactly like they are!

As Christians, we are blessed to have a heavenly home awaiting us that offers no pretense.