Perception Is Not Always Reality! 6-21–26

Welcome to the word for the week. There are a few expressions in life that are true words to always remember. They are not scripture but they are words of wisdom. You get out of things what you put into them. You can only go as far as you believe. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Everything that glitters is not gold. The list can go on and on but there is a point here. All of those things point to our perception. Our perception is shaped not only by what we hear but by how we hear it. It is shaped not only by what we see but how we see it. In other words, the perception of things can vary from one person to another. This is not a bad thing. It is how checks and balances in life are applied. Sometimes we are right about what we think. Sometimes we are wrong about what we think.

There is no easy way to walk this journey with Christ. There are no shortcuts on this road. Some of the roads have all sorts of bumps and potholes in them. Some of the places you have to go would never qualify as a place you hope to return to. There are heartaches and pains on this journey. You will cry both tears of joy and sorrow. You will be happy and sad along the way. You will smile and you will frown on this journey. These are all facts and this is where the bible speaks to us. Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers us from them all. Nothing about that says you will not have struggles. It actually promises us many struggles and they are necessary. When there is no pain there is no gain. It is not the easy things you remember the most in life. It is the things that cost you something that you will never forget.

A dangerous thing is to think we know the mind of God at all times. The bible literally says who can know His mind. We do not always know what God is up to or why. We do not always know if our trials are a lesson for our next blessing or punishment for our transgressions. We do not always know if we are going up or down at times. Everything does not always make sense. Like Israel, we find ourselves wandering at times for years in something that is a three day journey. What we do know is that God is in control. What we do know is that God knows what is best for us. What we do know is that we do not belong to ourselves but to God. What we do know is that He can do anything but fail. What we do know is that He will never leave or forsake us. What we do know is that no weapon formed against us shall be able to prosper. What we do know is that trouble does not last always. What we do know is there will be glory after this. We know these things and yet it is easy to focus on what is happening and never see what is on the way.

You never perceived that you would be serving God. You never imagined being in church every Sunday or praying everyday. You never imagined that your life would be where it is today. And guess what else you never did? You never complained about the things that worked out for your good. So, this leaves us with a simple point about perception. What you see is temporary and subject to change. What you see is working for your good. What you see will soon pass by. So if you spend your time making the ant hill into a mountain, how will you explain it to others when they are finally able to see the ant hill? What will be your reason for panicking about something that was never going to stay bad forever? If we are not careful our perception can become our deception. So here is the counter to all of these things. Let the mind that was in Christ also be in you. Christ had the mind to stay focused on God’s word, God’s promise, and God’s will. Everything He set out to do was fulfilled because of that focus. Will you walk with that same focus or will you let your perception sidetrack you and derail your promise?

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you in His grace,
Bishop Carlos J. Lennon