Perception

This is one of the toughest topics to cover in today’s culture. There are so many woman and men today, that will do something they regret based off either their perception of themselves, their perception of others, or others perception of them. I too am guilty of this. It’s so hard. Were you aware that the only time we can view ourselves is through either a reflection or a camera?

Which makes me think about biblical times. They definitely didn’t have phones back then and only the wealthy could acquire expensive mirrors like we have today. So what did the ladies in biblical times use to test if they looked beautiful enough? What did the men in biblical times use to see if they looked fit enough?

So It turns out that they used the reflection coming off the water to view themselves the way we view ourselves. Now it makes even more sense why God says he is our living water. Only through God can we see ourselves clearly. That’s all they had to depend on. That’s all they needed. That’s all we need. God’s perception of us.

Especially during the puberty stages of life up to adulthood, when we look in our reflections all is that is pointed out to us is our imperfections. We see the acne, the pimples, the one hair that’s frizzy, the eye boogers, the dirt, etc. But, what do we do when we see the things that are wrong with us? We instantly try to cover it up. Saying things like “if I just had a little more makeup then I’ll be pretty.” Or “maybe I’ll just wear a hood to cover up that one imperfect hair”. We have all been here, I perfectly understand where all of you are coming from.

I’m even worse. I have to stand in a very tall mirror where I can see how my shoes look with the rest of my outfit. I’m not content with just one perspective of me. See, this is an issue. How are we supposed to trust God’s perception of us when we only see the flaws? Well it starts with this question.

What is God’s perception of us? There are many answers to this question but only one answer stuck out to me the most. God sees us as royalty, member’s of his family line. When we stare back at our reflection, he sees us with crowns. I encourage you to try this practice. See when we stare at our reflection and picture ourself with a crown, suddenly the imperfections aren’t as radiated much as our beauty is.

Secondly, it’s all about shifting your focus. Don’t search for your imperfections, search for what made God call you “beautifully and wonderfully made”. Just like how if we search for the negative we will find it, well if we search for the positive we will also find it. The saying “we are our own worst enemy” is so true! It does not take us long to judge ourselves. Guys honestly we are unnecessarily harsh with ourselves.

When God created us he never said they look okay, or fine. He said “It is very Good!”. In which, the Greek word for Good is “kalos” meaning “beautiful”. Isn’t that what we have all been striving to be? So in Genesis God calls us his creation, “Very beautiful” when he’s finally done making us. God sees you as very beautiful! If we are already beautiful then why do we try so hard, poking ourselves and stretching our skin just to look like someone else?

We are made in God’s own image. Which means we resemble God. So because he is beautiful, we are beautiful! We do not need to keep coming up with ways to change ourselves. In fact, this is one of God’s biggest pet peeves.

““What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭45‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We are the clay. He is our potter, he is continually shaping us into the person he wants us to. But we slow down the process when we keep arguing with God about who he made us to be, instead of focusing on who he’s shaping us to become. It’s also a tactic from the devil. Once we are so obsessed with ourselves, we care more about protecting our dignity rather then showing our humility. God wants us to be the hands and feet of Jesus! We are expected to live as such. Surrender all control over what you think your body should look like over to God.

Lastly, once we are content in who we are, how do we see others in the same way? Well, God sees others as through what they can do, not their current abilities. He sees everyone as having potential. He sees someone in a wheelchair or someone who’s blind having the same potential as a celebrity. If not, more. I say that because part of God’s shaping process is all about putting us in a place where we allow him to work on us. Some people may not notice this, but often times those who seem they have lost everything have more humility then those who have everything. Which is why many downsides of life are just God’s blessings in disguise.

Moving forward, we have to view ourselves as a daughter of the king (heir to the throne) or a son of the king (heir to the throne). We are a part of the Family of God. You are his and he is yours. We were always meant to depend on God. He is our living water that allows us to see ourselves as quality and beautiful in a world that show us the opposite. He allows us to see others as having potential in a world that says they are weak for not having the same qualities that everybody else has.

There’s a reason why God says to be Jesus’ “hands” and “feet”. If everybody had the same gifts and blessings, then he would’ve just said hands, but he doesn’t. He included feet too! You get it? Some people may use their hands to spread the gospel others may use their feet to spread the gospel, other may use their mouth to spread the gospel, etc. Basically, God’s perception of others is everyone has potential because using our spiritual gifts we show the world a different aspect of Jesus.

Finally, STOP with all the imperfections. Instead, START with God’s Perception!