We live in a real world filled with pretend. It is filled with real sky, real plants, real people and much more real that you can experience with your senses. Yet, blended with real is pretend. Want to be confused? No one does…but when real and pretend are mixed you and I have problems. Can we separate the pretend from the real? Should we even be concerned with the fact that there are times we make life decisions based on things which are not true but pretend?

Pretend and real is not a game.

Each day of life is touched by our understanding of pretend and real.

We need to clarify what is meant by pretend. Anything pretend is not real. Anything pretend falls in the category of fantasy. Another expression for pretend is imaginary. It is made up and not real. But fantasy is a favorite of many, perhaps most of us. Movies, where we pay to be entertained by fantasy, books, even every day pretend thoughts are entertained and enjoyed because many individuals, myself included, like fantasy. We’ll make fantasy equal to pretend.

But there are times when pretend is not wise and times when pretend is even hazardous.

For example, real money is required when paying a bill. We want a real doctor when our health is at stake. A real teacher should be guiding the education of children. A real lawyer should draw up a contract. Pretend in these and many other situations is not acceptable.

There is another real situation we must think about. Sheep need a real shepherd. That’s the wooly, four-legged kind. The ones that speak “baa.” Then as we look at sheep another astonishing fact rises to the front. Humans are similar to sheep in more ways that we might believe. In may not surprise you-both need a real shepherd.

Toss the idea that sheep are dumb. Sheep don’t need a shepherd because they are dumb. They see in color, their hearing is excellent, and they have keen sense of danger and run from it. Shock, they are considered equally intelligent with cattle. They can even identify faces-of other sheep and humans. In time they recognize the face of their shepherd.

While humans can do foolish things, they are not lacking in intelligence. There is brilliance in the human race. Need examples? World libraries are filled with volumes of human ideas. Currently, there is a telescope on the way to deep space observation. We know how the atom works and computer technology allows you and I to see one another on the screen of our handheld device. Human intelligence is actually breathtaking.

Sheep need a shepherd. A human mind can recognize the problems and dangers facing a flock of sheep. The sheep are unaware. What about humans? We agree, they have significantly more intelligence. Be honest, you and I both know how prone to foolishness humans are. We know the bad decisions a human can make. Shepherds protect those they “herd.” Humans need a shepherd.

But when it comes to a shepherd, we don’t want a pretend, fake shepherd…not for sheep…and not for humans. Only a real shepherd will do. We didn’t mention the enemies of the sheep. In ancient days it was lions, wolves, coyotes, and large birds of prey. There were two legged enemies-call them thieves. A pretend shepherd never protected sheep…then or now.

What about the enemy of all humans? There is one. And there is a serious problem with this enemy. He is invisible. Don’t call me an oddball. Evil comes from an invisible source. Call him the devil. Call him Satan. He is the invisible enemy of all humans. The Bible explains this in stark terms:

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter5:8

Ever seen a lion? A fully grown lion, close up? Lions eat sheep…4 legged and human.

Sheep, the baa kind, and sheep the human kind need a REAL shepherd. A pretend shepherd will never keep sheep safe…woolly or human. Good news! There is a shepherd for humans. This shepherd is the only one who can protect us from the roaring lion who is our enemy. No pretend or fantasy. This Real Shepherd has already given His life that He might defeat the roaring lion enemy of every human being.

His name is Jesus.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

Pretend only works for some things. Pretend has a life span equal to a snow crystal.. Pretend is not permanent. The human soul is. Jesus is the Shepherd of our soul.