"Pretend"

I often watch my children play,

And how amazed am I that they

Are occupied for hours on end

With games that start with “Let’s pretend.”

They play at “house”, they play at “store”;

They play at “school”, they play at “war”.

They play at “cops and robbers”, too;

There’s nothing little minds can’t do.

Yes, “let’s pretend” contributes joy

To every little girl and boy;

And drab and dull would childhood be,

If it were not for fantasy.

The thought that weighs upon my mind

Is: Some don’t leave those years behind.

Concerning things “beyond the veil”,

They still let fantasy prevail.

They make believe there is no hell;

They make believe their souls are well;

They reason, under false pretense,

That works will be their sure defense.

Behold, the final, fearful end

Of those, like babes, who still pretend!

For in eternal things, you see,

There is no room for fantasy.

For fantasy oft times conflicts

With that which God on high edicts;

And fiction from the days of youth

Must not displace the written truth.

Because the Bible doth reveal

That mankind’s need for Christ is real.

Imagination has a role,

But not in matters of the soul.

And what of you, good Christian friend?

Do you serve God, or just pretend?

Do you the Holy Spirit grieve,

By service only “make believe”?

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