Your Vision Is So Clear You Don't See What Is Not

I was talking to my teenage daughter and her friend the other day about perception. We were discussing a young man of their acquaintance who never doubts his own perceptions. It never enters his mind that he may be mistaken. It's a common mistake for gobs of people - especially young ones - believing that one understands what is going on and the reasons behind circumstances.

Most of us who've been around the block a few times see the error of that belief when we look at young people. Because we've been there, we know that what they think is the end of the world really isn't, or what they think is supremely important will be forgotten tomorrow, or what is of no account is really critically important...

I told my daughter and her friend that at 45 I know that my perceptions are colored by my brokenness and my education and my life experiences. I told them that I know that I still perceive things wrongly. And it's true. On one level I am fully aware of the fact that I have many mis-perceptions... On another level, however, I continually live bound my own mis-perceptions.

How do I know when it's happening? When what I perceive doesn't jive with what I'm told is true in the Scriptures. When your default is performanced based, or feeling judged (rather than loved) by God or whatever... and you assent that your feeling is correct rather than what God tells you is true... then you know it's happening. I can live this way for a while without even being aware of it - only acutely aware that I'm not living abundantly.

The antidote to this poison is the reality check of what the Scriptures have to say to me. It's pretty easy for me to preach to my kids about what's true or preach to a congregation of Presbyterians about what's true. The bottom line is that sometimes I need to get back in touch with what is true myself. That's about it. I haven't had a lot to say in the last month because I've been in this place - the place of mis-perceptions. Thanks be to God for reality checks!