The Gulf between Reality and Perception

There is a glaring gulf between reality and perception today. However, this is nothing new but instead the gulf has existed since the beginning of time. Some 4,000 years ago people believed the earth was flat, and to this day there are any number of people who continue believe it is.

A little history

Around 500 B.C. the mathematician Pythagoras was the first to propose that the Earth was indeed round. And get this, he never left his house! Around two centuries later, the well known Greek philosopher Aristotle confirmed the earth was round. 

In the 15th century, practically anyone with a brain had the knowledge of a spherical earth. There has long been a myth that Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus set out to prove it with his three ships. That is perception, not reality. His goal was to claim new land for Spain and bring back any treasures he could find.

Think about it: If you stood on the beach and watched a large ship moving away from you, it would soon enough be gone from your sight. Some would say, "Well, it's too far away to see now." That is perception! The reality is that the ship was moving over a round earth and disappeared from your sight.

Ancient religion

Tell me whether you've not heard this story about the elephant and the blind men. It's an ancient Indian fable that philosophers like to use for various reasons. Let's say six individuals, who are all blind, encounter an elephant. They have been told by those who are able to see that the elephant is a God. So each person feels different parts of the elephant and offers his opinion of what God is like.

As one many observe in the above image, each blind man creates his own version of reality from his limited experience and perspective.

The man in the pink short described God as a large wall. The man in the turquoise shirt felt the tusk and said God was like a spear. The man in the green short felt the trunk and believed God was like a snake. The man in the purple shirt felt the leg and believed God was like a tree. The guy in the blue short touched the elephant's large ear and said God was like a fan. And finally, the man in the brown shirt, gabbing the tail, came to the conclusion that God was like a rope.

All of these blind men based their perception on what they had experienced. All were wrong. They had no idea that the elephant was not God but rather in reality a beast of burden.

2000 years ago

There was a baby born in Bethlehem to a couple around 4 B.C. Prior to the birth of the child, the father had nearly divorced his woman because they had not even consummated the marriage. In fact, she had been away from her man for a few months. Imagine his eagerness to see her when she returned!

But the woman told her betrothed that she was pregnant! How could this be, he wondered. In those days, she would have been stoned to death. His reasoning, his perception, was that she had become pregnant by another man.

"But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21, NIV).

Perception and reality are considerably different, as we have seen in the above examples. Remember, unbelievers laughed at Jesus. Some accused Him of being demon-possessed. Their perception was wrong, dead wrong. The reality is that Jesus is God (John 1:1). He has existed since before the creation (Genesis 1:26).

Years later

This Jesus began his ministry around age 30. He went about healing the sick, delivering people from demons, and feeding multitudes, as He preached the Kingdom of God had arrived in part.

Wait, some may say that "there is no such thing as demons!" That is perception. The reality is that there are demons.

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons" (1 Timothy 4:1).

"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4, NIV).

"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder" (James 2:19, NIV).

You see, our refusal to believe something, that is, our perception of something, may very well contradict reality. Remember, some people claimed Jesus was demon-possessed. Their perception was that only Satan could cast out demons. Some even laughed at Jesus! (They will laugh at us too when we preach Jesus). The reality is that Jesus is God (John 1:1). Again, He has existed since before the creation (Genesis 1:26).

Today

In our modern times, people often have the wrong perception, too. They claim there are more genders other than male and female; they claim there is no one God, and that all religions lead to heaven; they claim a man can give birth; they claim that one should live life to the fullest and live for and love self above all things. These are wrong perceptions.

The reality is that there are two biological sexes and that males cannot give birth. There is but one God, manifest in the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is but one way to heaven, by believe in Jesus by faith alone. We should not love the things of the world even though we live in the world. And we already love ourselves far too much; but what we need to do is love others and God.

Do not be misled by perceptions but rather come to the knowledge of reality.Open your eyes to the deceptive times we live in today. Perceptions can be wrong, but reality will ever remain the truth. Indeed, there is a glaring gulf between reality and perception today.