Three P's part 3
Perception and perspective (what you see and how you see it) go hand in hand. And they lead to priority. Much in the same way that faith and hope go hand in hand and lead to love. Faith is the subtance of things hoped for. How you see things determines what you see. It's the old idea of "putting yourself in someone else's shoes." Seeing things from THEIR view. Not being self-centered, if I can say it a little roughly. I think too many times we take things personally. And I gotta say... even if it IS personal, you don't have to TAKE it that way. You are not what someone calls you. But you ARE what you answer to. And what someone calls you really says more about THEM than it does about YOU. Because you can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. So if someone hurts you... it's because that's what they have: hurt. So instead of responding in kind (an eye for an eye), "...do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also" (Matthew 5:39 NLT). And even take it a step further, "Instead, "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads"" (Romans 12:20 NLT). But here's the key: These "burning coals of shame" actually have the effect of melting the "evil person," the "enemy's" heart. Destroying "enemies" by turning them into friends. Killing them with kindness. Seeing them clearly. Understanding that the "evil" they do comes from the "evil" they have. The evil they've experienced. Everyone has been burned at one time or another. But when you see that GOD is a consuming fire, you can see that what was burned was something that you didn't need in the first place. You can see that you are the garden and Jesus is the gardener, and there needed to be some pruning. Some things you believed needed to be chopped away. So that good fruit could come forth. The way you used to see things--black and white, good and evil--are not the way you see things when the light of the world shines. When you see with love you see beauty. Everywhere. In everyone. All the time. That's the perspective of truth. That's seeing things as they really are. When we can see where someone's coming from--when we understand their motives instead of just judging their actions--then we can "love them anyway." Love unconditionally. What I see, wherever I look, are just people. That's my perception. Not "good and evil." We are all One. We are all in this together. It's not "us vs them." It's just "us." And when I see things clearly, my perception changes. I can judge things correctly. Not judging by appearance, but judging righteous judgment. I can get past the surface and dig a little deeper, as the deep calls out to the deep. I can connect with you on that real, true, LOVE level. The Jesus in me and the Jesus in you. And that brings me to the third P; priority. What's important? What deserves my three T's (Time, Talent, Treasure). But that's for tomorrow.