PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING

(May 17)

“The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is clear/healthy (ἁπλοῦς), your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is evil/unhealthy (πονηρὸς), your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.” (Lk 11: 34-36)

Our “eye” is our perception of things; the way we “see” ourselves, our lives, other things and others, including God. By His grace, in connection with Him, I can “see” with eyes of faith. This means, “seeing” with gratitude, humility, patience, wisdom, compassion, forgiveness, hope, and so on. In that case, the proverbial “glass” is always “half full,” regardless of the ups and downs of external circumstances. Conversely, when I’ve slipped away from a connection with God, or lose sight of God, my vision becomes distorted, so I tend to “see” the same circumstances with dissatisfaction, resentment, impatience, self-centered fear, dread, etc.

This morning let me let God “clear” my “eye,” so that I can accept, and be grateful for, myself, others, and all things as I can accept them today: the way they are. And as for the things I should and can change in this picture, let me be open to God’s gentle wisdom, so I can also “see” the proper course of action in these matters. It’s simple, but not always easy. I need God’s help, God’s forgiveness, so I can forgive myself and others, as I take the small steps I need to take today, however imperfectly, to move forward. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference!”