PERCEPTION VS. REALITY
by Dr. Glenn Mathews
There is a vast difference between what we perceive and what is real! This truth was reinforced in my mind on 2/26/04. On that day, we were “invaded” by a seven-week-old pup that weighed less than three pounds. He thought he was huge! He is now (at 5 months) up to 8 pounds. When asked, “What kind of dog is he?” I reply “he is one-half Chihuahua and one-half not Chihuahua! After all these weeks of intensive training, Rascal (an appropriate name) has both of us well-trained. Although he has cowardly shrunk from confronting other dogs, as if to do battle, he struts around as though he weighs 150 pounds and stands five feet tall! There is a vast difference between his perception and reality.
Within the Word of God, there are examples of similar thinking. Remember Samson? He thought he could go out against the enemy, but “wist not that the Lord was departed from him. (Judges 16). In the New Testament, the church at Laodicea thought that they were rich, increased with goods and had need of nothing, when in reality, Christ said that they were “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3).
Because we can deceive ourselves so easily (and are prone to doing so), we should pray with the Psalmist in Psalm 139:22,23 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me
in the way everlasting”. If we tried to “search ourselves”, we would probably confuse the reality with our perception – mislabeling some things and completely over-looking others.
So, do I burst Rascal’s perception bubble with a dose of reality? Are you kidding? Of course not! He’s a dog. We, however, must face reality, even if it destroys our unrealistic perception!