Perception Is NOT Reality

I am so sick of the phrase "perception is reality."

I'm going to come out swinging for the fences and say that perception is NOT reality.

It MAY BE reality of course. But it MAY NOT BE reality. We cannot passionately and certifiably say that perception is reality.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But if the Son of Man (Jesus) was called a drunk and glutton and demon-possessed, we CANNOT say that perception is reality.

If you do the types of things Jesus did, your name and reputation might be slandered too. Perception is NOT NECESSARILY reality.

We cannot worry about perception! If we worry about perception we may not love like Jesus. We must be driven by LOVE not by how others perceive us. Our focus must be on cleaning the inside of the cup rather than causing others to think we have a great looking cup, or yard, or car, or family life, etc.

To be truly deep people we must toss the perception pills down the toilet and have a royal flush. We must instead be driven by a risky and passionate love of God and others that drives us to expect as Jesus said, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you."

What I am not advocating for is to simply not care about making right decisions. What I am advocating for is that you CANNOT live your life worrying about how other people perceive you. If you are worried about how other people perceive you, you'll be too busy to love them. If you're too concerned with your own reputation you won't have enough energy left to give a damn about your neighbor.

So. Love God and love your neighbor. But do not for fear of the approval or applause of others bury your treasure underground, live half heartedly, or become lukewarm. There is too much at stake for that sort of bland and indecisive existence.