The Naked Emperor By Paula Friedrichsen

Nothing will steal the beauty and sparkle of our present lives more than trying to be something we are not. In the pursuit of building and maintaining our social standing and fashionable lifestyle, we can end up becoming slaves to the opinions of others. How often do we engage in verbal gymnastics to make our lives appear better than they really are? When asked about our jobs, homes, vacations, clothing, car, education, who we know, or what books we’ve read—we sometimes struggle to be completely candid. We worry about what others will think of us, and want to make sure we appear successful, smart, and happy.

It’s just human nature to want to put our best foot forward, yet sometimes we can become overly vigilant in the fluffing up of our reputations. Yes, there is a healthy protecting of our reputations which will help to promote righteous living; such as in not shoplifting from K-Mart; not getting tipsy at business meetings; or not flirting licentiously with the check-out boy at the supermarket. But there’s also an unhealthy guarding of our reputations, which over time is sure to siphon the joy out of our lives.

And it’s not only a “joy” issue when it comes to being consumed in what others think of us. It can become an idol in our lives—and God won’t tolerate idols. He loves us too much to allow us to bow down to something as fleeting and unimportant as whether someone thinks we’re wealthy enough, socially connected enough, well dressed enough, educated enough, or even spiritual enough. God is interested in transformation and transparency, and He’s pleased when we are genuine with Him, and genuine with each other.

This last Sunday our pastor, Eric Stovesand, read the Hans Christian Andersen story of “The Emperor's New Clothes”. I had never actually heard the entire unabridged story before, and I found it delightful and insightful. Here’s a short recap of the story:
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Many years ago, there lived an emperor who cared obsessively about his clothes. One day two swindlers named Guido and Luigi told him that they could make him the finest suit of clothes from the most beautiful cloth. This cloth, they said, also had the special capability that it was invisible to anyone who was either stupid or not fit for his position.

Being a bit nervous about whether he himself would be able to see the cloth, the emperor first sent two of his trusted men to see it. Of course, neither would admit that they could not see the cloth and so they praised it. All the townspeople had also heard of the cloth and were interested to learn how stupid their neighbors were.

The emperor then allowed himself to be dressed in the clothes for a procession through town, never admitting that he was too unfit and stupid to see what he was wearing. He was afraid that the other people would think that he was stupid.

Of course, all the townspeople wildly praised the magnificent clothes of the emperor, afraid to admit that they could not see them, until a small child said:

"But he has nothing on!"

This was whispered from person to person until everyone in the crowd was shouting that the emperor had nothing on. The emperor heard it and felt that they were correct, but he held his head high and finished the procession.
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The transient opinions of men are the emperor’s new clothes—and what was “cool” last month is no longer cool today. What was considered contemporary, current, and hip last year, is now passé. Oh how ridiculous and fleeting are the opinions, fashions, and trends of our culture!

Have you ever been caught looking foolish because of a frantic need to fit in—but you were in so deep your only choice was to, “hold your head high and finish the procession”?

I have!

The good news is there’s a safeguard to protect us from our desperate need to be accepted; 1 Peter 5:5 tells us “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

With God’s help we can trade out the clothing of pride and foolishness for the garments of humility—and we can exchange boasting and bragging for an authentic and unassuming nature.

Paula Friedrichsen is a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30 Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org