Perception vs reality...

Perception vs reality....

In my organization, I’m a director have insight into many things that the 40 plus people I supervise do not. Likewise, the executive staff above me, have insight into things that I do not.

I remember a few years ago as we were going through a massive transformation, there were many questions. Why were we doing this? What did it mean for the future of VA IT organization? And the list went on. Sure, there was some communications that went out, but for the most part, it didn’t feel like we were getting the full story. Then, I was invited to a meeting where I had the curtain pulled back and I will tell you, my initial reaction was, I wish I had stayed ignorant of the reasons the changes were taking place.

My perception was based on false information, and rather than trust the individuals at the top of my organization, I built a story that wasn’t true and that caused me all sorts of stress.

Perception can be a very dangerous thing. It can keep us up at night. It can start rumors. It can destroy friendships. It can, most importantly, keep people away from Christ. There is a quote, I cannot recall the author, that basically says that the number one reason for people not wanting to follow Christ, are those that are “following” Christ.

Now, to be fair, we are human. We do have faults, prone to jealously, anger, resentment, etc. But to also be clear, we are children of the Most High. We are called to be a light on the hill (Matthew 5:14). We are called to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). When we are visible, we are visible and how we are acting, creates a perception around the thoughts of those around us. If we flash an obscene gesture in the car, after being cut off, with a church bumper sticker, we are creating a perception. When we get mad at the clerk for screwing up the return, with our CCC shirt on, we create a perception. The list goes on.

We are in a Catch-22 ourselves as Christians though. While we must maintain a positive light, less anyone think less of Christ, we also must provide a measure of grace for those around us. When they get mad, we must show compassion. When somebody cuts us off, we must respond with peace. Even inside our church family, we cannot assume the worse. That is why Scripture clearly tells us that when we have an issue, we must go to that person and discuss it (we have to know that Jesus knew our nature and we would create a worse case scenario).

In the end, for some perception is a reality. That is a characteristic of the fallen world. While we still have our flesh, we will be chased by that on two fronts. On one front, we must strive to remain the salt, and light, for those around us. And on the other, we must provide grace to those that we FEEL have wronged us.

This week, demonstrate compassion to those around you, even when you feel compelled to do otherwise. He has shown that to us, we MUST show it to others.