Perception is Reality

In a recent conversation with one of my students, she told me about a verbal confrontation she had with another young lady on her cheer team. The other cheer member said to my former student, "You think I have an attitude, but I don't!" To which my former student responded, "Well perception is reality boo!" Now, granted I was tickled because the way we as black women can shut down an argument, even at such a young age, is impressively hilarious. But it also made me think about the unfortunate truth in her statement.

Many of us in the body of Christ are giving off these negative, hurtful, and unfortunate perceptions that are affecting other people's reality about our faith. What we don't realize is that our responsibility to the Kingdom is to make sure that people don't get it twisted. However, most of us are the ones out here doing the TWISTING.

For example, there are many Christians standing in the name various causes or lifestyle choices in a way that is less than that of which God would have us. We approach things and people we disagree with using vehemence, degradation, disrespect, and hate. We stand in lines with posters or go on social media rants that send the message that "God hates faggots," or "Abort your baby, and go to hell," or even the ignorance that "Muslims are terrorists."

The truth is that when I sit in the company of many Christians, the only things I here are judgement, ridicule, condescension, division, and insult. I don't think those are the fruits we are supposed to bear, yet when we allow these traits to go on public display what we in turn say is THIS is the reality of Christianity. I don't think that's true, and I don't think that's fair. God is love. God is the embrace of ALL of who we are, even when our lives don't always line up.

So today, I challenge us to be cognizant about the message we are sending to unbelievers. People have no other way to associate what it means to live a godly life other than through what we show them. A godly person is not perfect. A righteous person is not without wrong. A godly person is a person who seeks after God's will, strives to attain everything that God has in store for them (the good and bad), but makes mistakes along the way. THAT is a godly person. And THAT is the perception that should become any lost and wondering soul's reality.

But we make it a point to have them perceive the exact opposite. That a godly person IS perfect person. That a righteous person CANNOT do wrong. We say that if they don't live the way that WE think they should live, and if they aren't doing the things that WE are doing, then somehow they are beneath us and therefore not qualified to be Christians. THAT is NOT the message! So, if you are reading this, I want you to simply ask yourself this question: Because of me, who does the world think that God is? Be Blessed. XOXO