Day 12 of 28
Let's Pretend
Becoming What We Are Not Yet
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Romans 8:29: "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
Then read 2 Corinthians 3:18: "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another."
Reflection
Lewis now makes a bold and practical claim: the Christian life often begins with pretending. Not pretending in the sense of hypocrisy, but in the sense of dressing up — stepping into a role that is larger than your current reality, and finding that the role begins to reshape you.
When you say the Lord's Prayer — "Our Father" — you are, Lewis points out, pretending to be a son or daughter of God. But it is a peculiar kind of pretending, because the moment you do it, God begins to make the pretense real.
"Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already. That is why children's games are so important. They are always pretending to be grown-ups — playing soldiers, playing shop. But all the time, they are hardening their muscles and sharpening their wits so that the pretence of being grown-up helps them to grow up in earnest."
This is not "fake it till you make it" in any shallow sense. It is a description of how formation works. You become brave by doing brave things before you feel brave. You become generous by giving before generosity feels natural. You become Christlike by imitating Christ before the imitation becomes second nature.
Lewis also offers profoundly practical advice about the daily battle for the mind.
"The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in."
Paul describes the destination of this process in Romans 8:29 — being "conformed to the image of his Son." And 2 Corinthians 3:18 describes the mechanism: beholding the glory of the Lord, we are gradually transformed into the same image. The transformation is real, but it is progressive — "from one degree of glory to another."
Going Deeper
Lewis is telling us something that the best spiritual directors have always known: transformation happens through practice, not just through understanding. You do not become patient by reading a book about patience. You become patient by practicing patience in a hundred small moments when you would rather not.
The daily discipline Lewis describes — pushing back the "wild animals" of self-interest each morning and making space for Christ — is the ordinary means by which extraordinary transformation occurs.
Key Quotes
“Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already. That is why children's games are so important. They are always pretending to be grown-ups — playing soldiers, playing shop. But all the time, they are hardening their muscles and sharpening their wits so that the pretence of being grown-up helps them to grow up in earnest.”
“The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”
Prayer Focus
Beginning your day by consciously putting on Christ — acting as though you are already the person God is making you become
Meditation
In what area of your life might 'holy pretending' — acting in faith as though you were already the person Christ is making you — begin to reshape you from the inside out?
Question for Discussion
Where is the line between Lewis's 'holy pretending' — stepping into a Christlike role before it feels natural — and plain hypocrisy? How can your community tell the difference, and how should you respond to someone who feels like a fraud in their faith?