What You See

There is a strange phenomenon that occurs in life that affects every one of us and yet it is something we seldom stop to think about. That is the condition of “mirroring.” Ancient philosophers recognized it and said that we as people see the world not as it is but as we are. What this means is that if we are generous and kind we tend to assume that others around us are generous and kind. Or if we are jealous and prone to gossip, we assume that everyone else is jealous and tends to gossip.

I once met a woman and as we talked she found out that I met a group of women each morning to go walking with for exercise. Her immediate reaction is, “I could never do that! A group of women is just a gossip group.” I was stunned because the group I was walking with didn’t gossip. She made an assumption that must have been made from her own experience not mine.

This takes on significance when we look at the Sermon on the Mount and read that the pure in heart will see God. Yes, they someday will behold God face to face, but more importantly the pure in heart see God in everything around them. Instead of seeing a stranger as someone wearing expensive clothing, they see the pure in heart see a stranger and recognize a fellow child of God-a sibling. Being pure in heart means that you see the world differently. It means that you see the world through pure and righteous eyes.

So today I'm paying close attention to what I see and then learning about myself.