Your Perception Might Not Be Reality
I remember the day. It was my freshman year of college. A fellow friend and student seated nearby said to me, as I was looking at the professor and white board in the distance,“Man, you are squinting pretty hard!” My first thought was,“What are you talking about, you’re crazy!” But, after a few days, and some thoughts on the matter, I decided to get my eyes checked. Sure enough, my days of 20/20 vision were over. No longer could I claim perfect vision. I had officially joined the ranks of near-sighted humanity world-wide. With this development came… you guessed it, glasses.
Since that day in 1991 (yes, I’m no “spring chicken”), I’ve had my eyes checked dozens of times and purchased my fair share of stylish frames (Hey, if I gotta were ‘em every day, I better love ‘em!). Somewhere along the line, I even began augmenting my look with prescription sunglasses (a must for a soccer lover and soccer dad). I know what you’re thinking… “sounds expensive.“ Yup.
Frankly, I’d rather not know how much I’ve spent on metal and plastic marked up 1000% as eyeglass frames, not to mention lenses. Then there’s been the cost of exams… Let’s just say I’ve played my part in sustaining the economy. Why, you ask? Is it all really necessary? Well… maybe not the vanity part. But the seeing part?
Putting it plain and simple, being able to see things, as they really are, is a BIG deal.
Seeing life in crystal clarity (my beautiful wife and daughters’ faces, mind-blowing sunsets, detailed brush strokes in impressionist paintings, sublime soccer footwork in a stadium packed with chanting fans, to name a few), versus only being able to see blurry masses, representing all the aforementioned and more, is unthinkable. Heck, it’s even dangerous, if you add a motorized vehicle or power-tool to the equation!
I am all in… I am FULLY committed to seeing well. I want my eyes to perceive reality correctly. Why? Because there’s too much on the line.
Recently, I was reading in the New Testament, and it got me thinking. Am I as committed to how my heart and mind perceive reality? Matthew 6:16-34 records the words of Jesus as he taught about money and possessions. In the middle of his exhortation to not “store up treasures here on earth” and how “No one can serve two masters” (in reference to money), Jesus says something very peculiar.
Verses 22 and 23 read,“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!” (NLT)
Whoa. What’s He talking about? Why would Jesus sandwich this “eye stuff” in between the bread… the money? Okay, bad pun… but, what do eyes have to do with finances? Everything.
How you see, how you perceive reality (in this case possessions and money), affects how you live - what you value (your treasures) and who/what you serve (your masters). Jesus, the Master Optician, nails it. If your eye is good, you see things accurately. If your eye is bad, not only do you not see things accurately, but you’re deceived, thinking your wrong perception is actually reality. Even more so than natural eyesight, the quality and clarity of the perception of my heart and mind are crucial, to the present and eternity.
I don’t know about you but, I want to see AND perceive things as they truly are… in complete clarity. Considering this passage in Matthew, it means that, in reality, there’s more to life than the time I will spend on this planet. Heaven is real, forever and ought to shape where I put my treasures and hopes. My trust is in God. That reality means I see Him clearly. He is my Master and my Provider. Fear and worry don’t distort my vision. They are corrected and replaced with His peace and provision. That’s better than 20/20!
“ I don’t know about you but, I want to see AND perceive things as they truly are… in complete clarity. ”
The thing is, just like my eyeballs are in need of continual assessment and correction, so do the eyes of my heart and mind need it. Back in ’91, I did two very important things: (1) I heeded the word of a trusted friend and (2) sought the wisdom and counsel of an authority on eyesight. As result, my vision was made right. It was a game changer then and continues to be so to this day as I submit myself to getting checked each year.
So… I ask you, do you have trusted friends who give you feedback on what isn’t seeming right in the vision of your heart and mind, the way you are seeing and interpreting things? Secondly, are you seeking and submitting to THE Authority of your soul’s eyesight, so that He can give you a right perspective? If not, it’s time to do so.
Why? Because there’s too much on the line… in your life AND in the lives your life affects, both now and for eternity.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash