Are you familiar with optical illusions? Are you intrigued by them? Have you ever looked at them and saw one thing, while another person saw something completely different?
Well, they are images or pictures that we perceive differently than they really are. We see one thing, but our brain tells us we are seeing something different. Optical illusions occur when our eyes send information to our brain that tricks us into perceiving something that does not match reality. While optical illusions can be fun and interesting, they also reveal a great deal about the working of the brain. Our brains engage in a three-step process when presented with stimuli: selection, organisation and interpretation.
It is remarkable how we can all see the same image – yet leave with a different picture of what we saw. It is the same logic behind how two people can experience the same scenario, like reading a book or listening to someone give a speech or sermon, or watching the same movie yet differ in their memories of it. It is the same in life as well. All of us can be exposed to the same thing but walk away with different perspectives. Why do you think that is so? You see, each one of us sees the world differently. Our brains interpret the world differently. One person’s reality can be slightly, somewhat, or even radically different from another.
Our experiences shape our perception of the world and the people we interact with. Therefore, if we have to interact with others in any way, in order to do so successfully, we need to realise that reality changes with every person we come across. What two people see is truly different and it is tied at a neural level to their own personal experiences. You see, reality and fact is tied to perception, and perception is linked to the way an individual brain receives information.
For that reason, it behooves us to understand that everyone sees things differently because they bring their own individual view to everything they perceive. Hence, we need to keep that fact in mind when we communicate and interact with others. We also need to respect that others will hold their points of view as reality, so we need to respect each other.
Similarly, it is interesting to note, that some people can be facing the same reality, and yet have varying ways of interpreting them. While some see obstacles, some see opportunities. While some see gloom and doom, some see periods for growth and development. It all depends on the lens a person is looking through, and how they perceive things. Whether they are optimists or pessimists.
The Bible is littered with tough situations in which godly men and women found themselves and how they viewed their situations. Situations that appeared awful turned out to be times of great victory and growth such as the stories of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Ruth, Esther, Job, Paul and Silas, just to name a few. The key was how they viewed things. How do you see your situation today? How do you see our circumstances? Jonah saw the inhabitants of Nineveh as evil people who did not deserve God’s truth, but God saw them with compassion.
Moses, Isaiah and Jeremiah saw themselves as insignificant and inadequate when God called them, but God saw them otherwise. Jeremiah was told to speak every word God put in his mouth. The time came to check his vision. God said to him, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” He replied, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” You see, if a man is going to proclaim the Word of the Lord GOD, then he must be able to see what God is about to do, or at least what he desires to do.
God asked Jeremiah, “What do you see?” He replied, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” The Lord said to him, “You have seen correctly, for I watch over My word to accomplish it.” “Now, get ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them or I will cause you to cower before them. Today, I am the One who has made you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land – against the Kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the population. They will fight against you but never prevail over you, since I am with you to rescue you.”
God worked mightily in Jeremiah’s life. When God called him,Jeremiah began to see things differently. Where once he had only seen the natural world, he was now seeing into the invisible world as well. Like Jeremiah, you have been born into this world for a purpose. God may be saying to you today – what do you see? Look beyond where you are and see with the eyes of faith. Believe “Me” even for the impossible. Take a positive look at the possibilities of the future and speak of those things that do not exist as though they exist – and call them forth.
Think and speak about your future in a positive way according to what God has placed in your heart – not according to what you have seen in the past or are seeing even now in the present. God has a great future for you. Believe it and confess it. Have a hopeful mind, and a positive attitude. God wants to do a new thing within you but you must be able to perceive it. If you can conceive it you can have it.
Remember: Wisdom comes from knowing that what others say and see about you is not your reality. It is their reality. What do you see?
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in The Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 3. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre.
