What is false?

how false things can teach, train and direct our path

Last week, I wrote a short reflection on the realness of some invisible things, and I asked us to consider identifying and elevating those things that are true. This week I’ll present a contrast about the false things that we might see in our day-to-day, and how those things can also serve us in directing our spiritual lives. A false thing might represent something that’s true, or point us to its opposite, or serve as the fuel we need to dig deep to discover, identify and follow truth. Let’s get into it.

Last week, we took a trip to visit our son and noticed the flight attendant holding and carefully caring for a stuffed toy shark. When we noticed it, Tiffany explained that a little boy had left the shark behind on a flight a few days prior, and that after being in touch with his Mom, Tiffany was giving the shark an adventure until they could all reunite in the family’s home airport. In the meantime, Tiffany was taking the shark’s picture in various airports and locations, and even up front with the captain. We asked if we could add our selfie to the shark’s portfolio and were delighted that she said yes.

Now off course, this toy shark was not real, but he pointed to what is both invisible and very real indeed¹ – relationships, human kindness, joy and the empathy and compassion we can choose to show for one another. In a real way, we and everyone else who participated in the photo project are a part of the boy’s story even though we will likely never meet.

On my run today, I saw a number of false things – a decoy animal in a soccer field meant to prevent geese from landing and/or pooping there, a football dummy shoved to the side of a running track, a thatch of trees that by all appearances were dead, and a pile of dirty snow.

In the case of the trees and the snow, it is their message that’s false. It is so easy to see a brittle and leafless tree and believe it will always be this way. Similarly, the snow pile is, of course, a strong indicator of a winter season. But both the trees and the snow are in progress – becoming something new. Budding trees and melting snow – these are signs of what is on the way, and so in this case a false thing can be a teacher. We can consider and then discard a false message, choosing instead to place our hope in what we can’t see but which we know will one day come.

The football dummy is, of course, not a real athlete, though it has the weight, helmet and even the jersey number of one. And this false thing has a purpose – to train players to engage the real thing when it comes to their time on the field. Like them, we have lots of practice opportunities these days to build our strength, to determine our stances, and to push against an opposing force. As a player battles against a dummy, the goal is not to defeat the false thing, but to build up our own strength and endurance for when it will really count. Clarifying our ideals, connecting with and understanding for ourselves what our faith really teaches, working to align our lives with the Gospel – these are all worthy spiritual workouts in a time such as this.

As I passed the decoy animal on my run, I found myself amazed that it actually accomplishes its goal. As the silhouette of a wolf or fox spins on a stake in the ground, the decoy’s movement really does keep geese away and protects the playing field from the mess of goose droppings. But as you get closer, it is just so obvious that the decoy is a fake, a cheap copy of a living thing. Broken, colorless, spinning wildly – you really can’t image that any goose would believe that this is a real animal, yet many apparently do just that. This is a reminder to me to be sure not to elevate false things as real, and to not let those false things dictate my actions. It’s so easy to do that today, and many people of faith are doing just that.

So, what about us? What false things in our ideals, our religious beliefs, and our understanding of the Gospel can we identify as decoys for the real thing, and how can this identification change our action or our spiritual path today? And how can we choose the real, good things that do serve us and allow us to serve our brothers and sisters, too?

I look down at my sweet pup laying in a puddle of light and there I find my answer. She has chosen to bathe in a substance which we can’t touch but which is very, very real. True light will always make a difference for the good, and remaining in it is a real choice we can make every day.²

And so friend, I’m wondering, what true and false things are you finding these days, and how are they making a difference for your path as you walk it out? Let me know in the comments.

Raised Catholic Rewind:

What I’m reading/watching/listening to/recommending this week:

Quote from author Kate Bowler on a recent podcast: “Stuff that felt neutral doesn’t feel neutral anymore.” - on living in an apocalyptic time

Quote from author James Bryan Smith: “I am one in whom Christ delights and dwells. The kingdom of God is not in trouble and neither am I.”

Songs from my run that blessed me:

He Reigns/Awesome God, by Kirk Franklin Live at Lakewood Church Houston TX, June 16, 2000

We’ve Got This Hope, by Ellie Holcomb

Halo, by Ane Burn, Linnea Olson

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, by Lauren Daigle

Prayer:

God who is love, turn our eyes to who You really are this week and help us to spend this Lent knowing You more and serving You in our love for Your people. For us, our dear ones, and all those in deep need today, we pray in the name of Jesus and wrapped in the mantle of our Mother Mary, amen.

1. Of course this reminds me of the beautiful Velveteen Rabbit story, by Margery Williams. If you don’t already have a beloved copy, find it here.

2. Tabitha Brown had a great video post on the difference between real and artificial light this week. It’s a perfect metaphor. Give it a watch here.