Hi, all. Just a thought to help start your weekend. 

On one of our trips to Washington, D.C. in recent years, I took this photo in the Smithsonian’s American History Museum. That particular museum is a favorite of mine. When I saw this display, I immediately knew what it was and made sure to snap a photo. This costume comes from an unforgettable sketch on The Carol Burnett Show, another favorite of mine. If you are a Carol Burnett fan, then you recognize this as her “I saw it in the window and I just couldn’t resist it” dress from the famous “Went With the Wind” episode.

That show, among most others, are fun to watch. Every television show on every channel will have those moments that make you wonder why you waste your money on a cable or satellite subscription each month. However, there is much pleasure in watching shows like this one for the laughs.

When we were children, we all liked to play make-believe or pretend. We would dress up (or maybe not) and act like superheroes or TV characters, or even relatives and such, and we would have a wonderful time. But at the end of the day, the costumes were returned to their places and toys were picked up, and all of the make-believe yielded back to the reality of life.

I wonder how much of our grown-up lives are make-believe as well. Are we putting up a brave front so others won’t see us cry? Are we dressing up to make it to Sunday services, knowing we are falling apart on the inside? Are we simply playing a role every day for the sake of others, or are we being real?

God sees the real you. He loves the real you. He doesn’t want a show, and He certainly doesn’t want you pretending to be a Christ-follower if you aren’t. Because the truth is, at the end of our days here, all the make-believe will be put away, and we will step into the reality of an eternity that either carries us into His presence or far, far away from Him.

Pretending this week? Enjoy it while you can. Very soon, every episode comes to an end as the curtain falls.

Just a thought. ’Til later.

Rev. Brad Campbell, mastah.pastah@yahoo.com.