I Am a Hypocrite-and You Should Be Too

Every night, I decide to be a hypocrite the following morning. I set my alarm, and when it goes off in the morning, I immediately turn it off and jump straight out of bed.

You may be asking yourself, why is that being a hypocrite?

I don’t feel like getting out of bed. I want to stay in bed, but I get out of bed because I know I should.

Many people think being a hypocrite means doing something you don’t feel like doing. That’s actually not true. Being a hypocrite is doing something you do not intend to follow up on to impress or gain the approval of others or find some gain for yourself. It’s doing an action without intending to become that kind of person.

It is trying to fool people.

The term “hypocrite” originates from ancient Greek theater, where actors wore masks to portray different characters. When an actor depicted another character, they would remove one mask and put on another. The word then became associated with someone who puts on a façade without actually embodying the beliefs or lifestyle they portray.

We have taken that word to describe those who act in front of others, depicting a character or a lifestyle they do not intend to live out in everyday life. They present a mirage.

This happens in church, schools, entertainment, and day-to-day life; I guess the only area I can think of where it does not occur is politics.

On the other hand, millions of people don’t do the right thing because they don’t feel like it. They would like to feel like it. But they have no positive emotions motivating them. In fact, the only emotion they may feel could be negative. Therefore, they decide not to do it. They have mistakenly believed that doing the right thing without positive motivation would be hypocritical.

Wrong!

That would not be hypocritical. It would be a demonstration of enormous self-discipline. Some of the most beautiful acts in history and everyday life came from people who had no desire to fulfill what they were doing. But they knew it was the right thing to do, so they did it.

Consider everyday life for an example. Parenting can provide us with two sides of the same coin. Sometimes, a baby is screaming and crying. So much so the exhausted parent wants to build a basket, put the baby in the basket, and place the basket in the bull rushes. (Hey, it worked with baby Moses.) However, the parent refuses to act upon that negative emotion because the parent knows it’s not the right thing to do.

On the other hand, when that cry comes during that night, and that baby needs to be changed, the last thing a Dad (or Mom) wants to do is to arise and insert his fingers into plastic and cloth containing enormous amounts of urine or fecal matter (or both!) to clean a wet, dirty baby. So, why do parents do it? Commitment. It is the right thing to do. The standard of right helps the parent to rise above negative feelings.

Constructive motivation can prove challenging when bad feelings are present–or when positive feelings are lacking. Half of all pulpits would not be filled on Sundays if preachers were required to feel like being there when they preach. An old story illustrates this well.

Once, a gentleman was sitting at the breakfast table one Sunday morning, eating his cereal while still in his pajamas, and it was getting relatively late in the morning. His wife came in somewhat startled and said, “Honey, you’d better hurry up; it’s almost time for church.”    

And he said, “I’m not going to church this morning.”

Surprised, she said, “Give me one good reason why you’re not attending church.”

He replied, “I’ll do better than that; I’ll give you two. First, I don’t like a single person up at that church. And in the second place, not a single person up there likes me. And besides that, you give me one good reason why I should go to church this morning.”         

She said, “I’ll do better than that, I’ll give you two. Number one, God has taught you to go to church. And number two, you’re the preacher.”

Anybody and everybody has had times when they didn’t want to go to church. For those who did, even with their negative feelings, I would argue that they never showed more sacrificial love toward God and the church than when they showed up despite their feelings.

This mindset applies intimate relationships with God and the church to family and work. We might not feel like doing tasks in a work setting, but we do them because we know they are necessary and part of our job responsibilities.

Retired major leaguer Cal Ripken, Jr. is revered to this day because he showed up for work in 2632 consecutive games. Much more than anyone else in history. He answered the call every day in spite of pulled muscles, broken bones, sickness, and injury. He did so not to set a record but because he was hired to play baseball. That was his job.

So, join me in seeking to become more “hypocritical.” Let’s do the right things despite not feeling like doing so. And let’s refrain from doing the many things we want to do but are wrong.*

…