Living beings have the ability to see something and actually come to a conclusion on whatever subject it is. In fact, animals can do that as well. For instance, a dog can look at something and get the perception that it’s attacking him or her and attack back or it can perceive that it’s friendly and begin to wag its tail. Now the perception is usually based on past experience or things learned. Though perception can become reality for us, it doesn’t mean that it’s actually the reality.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:23-24
Our perception is the lens through which we see life. If that lens is dirty or dark, that’s how we see everything. Check out this verse:
“To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.” Titus 1:15
For instance, some people have a problem with the Bible so they question everything that’s in it but if I were to take the same verses and put them in a philosophical book, they would believe it. The Bible tells us, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” We should pray to God constantly to give us a pure heart so that our perception is not controlled by our bad experiences of the past, but by God. If we see our problems, our children, our co-workers, or others the way God sees them, then we are of pure heart and we will have a Godly perception of things.
Now different from animals, we humans have the ability to perceive ourselves. We can actually be the fly on our own wall, but that perception may also be tainted. When the perception of self is tainted, that’s even worse. It will actually get you to do and be what you perceive yourself to be, which could be very much wrong. Ask God today for a pure heart, that your thoughts may be aligned with his. It will take you to be and act like the special person that you are, and you will also treat others as the special people they are.
