....................Life has a strange way of warping our perceptions of what is true. Think about it…….If a baby was raised in a home, sheltered from the world, and all he ever learned and knew for years was what his parents taught him. What if his parents taught him that up was down? That black was white? That a dog was a cat? That cold was hot? That light was dark? That on was off?………Now that seems silly, but for the sake of argument what if it were true? At what point would he realize that what he was taught to be true was completely the opposite? When neighbors or relatives visited? When he started school? When he read it several different resources? What would it take to convince him that his beloved caregivers had taught him all wrong? Did they do it on purpose? Did they really love him if they did? What if his parents had also taught him many things that WERE TRUE? How would he figure out which were the lies and which were the truth?
Though this scenario is a little far fetched, let’s take this to a more realistic level. What if well meaning parents had children? What if these parents had some problems, misconceptions, addictions, mixed in with good intentions, imperfect love, and some good times? You would end up with someone who thought they treated their kids properly, thought they treated their wife right, thought they worked hard, thought that they showed love….respect……and kindness to all…….when in reality……weighed against God’s Word and what successful, healthy individuals did was far different than what this person ended up to be like.
How would this person come to terms with his warped view of what love really was?………. Of what respect really was? Of what friendship, trust, and diligence were? How would it change their thoughts and feelings about their parents? Would they feel betrayed or realize their parents just weren’t perfect but did the best they could? Or were they just selfish and not really care to change though warned by others over and over?
Whatever your story, wherever you find yourself in life today, are you willing to seek the truth? Are you willing to truly look at yourself, your perceptions, your faith, your past, your future……….?
I, personally, believe the only thing to weigh all of that against is God, our creator. We can actively do that through His Word, the Bible. Through the example of Jesus, His son and our Savior. Through resources ( books, counseling, and successful individuals) that align themselves with God’s word. And, through the hard and often painful confrontation with ourselves and our beliefs. God’s Word promises:
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Phillipians 1:6
KT
