Saturday, July 25, 2009

The Power of Perception.

Before Adam went out of town the other night he woke Jace and McKayley up at 2:00am. I was sleeping and had no idea he did this until the next morning after Adam had already left. Here is what happened according to McKayley-

"Dad woke me up at 2:00am! He told me to come outside with him. Mom, it was amazing. It was so dark and the stars were shining bright. You could hear all the frogs. It was so cool. Then dad set up the telescope. Guess what I saw Jupiter! At first I thought it was just a star with four other stars around it, but mom-It was actually Jupiter's moons."

She was smiling from ear to ear telling me what happened. This is a memory hopefully she will always cherish.

Now here is what happened according to Jace-

"I was sleeping and dad came and got me out of my bed. He took me outside in my pj's mom. The frogs and all the night bugs were so loud. Did I mention I was in my pj's?! We had to look through the telescope"

He was not smiling and I doubt this is a memory (at least now) he cherishes.

I couldn't help but laugh at how differently their perception of the 2:00am wake up call was.

It got me thinking about the power of perception and how different we all are. Have you ever written an email or blog post that you meant to have an effect but then turned out to be perceived completely differently than how you meant it.
I think a lot of times how we perceive something is a direct reflection of where we are emotionally at that time.
This incident of Jace and Mckayley was such a huge reminder to me. Lately my perception has been a little"off".

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" Henry Ford

My recent perceptions of myself and my life.
1. I'm exhausted.
2. I look old.
3. I feel old.
4. I'm ugly.
5. My hands are too full.
6. The twins are too much.
7. I made a mistake.
8. I'm trapped
9. Life was better when...
10. I'm a terrible mother.
11. I don't do enough.
12. My house is a disaster.
13. I need a break.
14. If only my husband was around more....
15. I don't want to get out of bed.
16. Nobody does anything around here.
17. I'm sick all the time.
18. If only I had family that was around...
19. I can't stand all the whining.
20. I have no friends.

Is this what I want? No. Then why am I buying into all the lies? God did not create me for defeat.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Proverbs 23:7
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..

Do my circumstances need to change?
No.
I do. My perception needs to.
I have read over the last few years on blogs of parents suffering the unthinkable their children dying or a spouse dying. There are families fighting cancer, disease, and hardships-yet their perspective is clear. They see God's hand. They believe His promises. They cling to His truth.
My life is amazing. It is what God has given me. To think of my circumstances as anything other than beautiful is a selfish perception. Yes. I might feel like I'm struggling and times might seem hard but My God is awesome!

14 comments:

KelseyChristine said...

My perception of this post is that it is awesome :)

Sean and Lisa said...

You are preaching to the choir girl! I hear ya, am agreeing with you and am trying each day to change my perception as well.
Awesome post!!

Paula said...

Hmmm. I could have written that EXACT same list. Let's make a deal... I'll work on my perception if you work on yours. You are awesome. :)

Kelly said...

OMG stef your top 10 sound like i wrote them myself.
We should be "real" friends!! Have a great time on the raft trip. I'm jealous!!

Tara @ Dashing in Pearls said...

Thanks for that Steffany! Have a great time on your trip... I'm sad I couldn't work it out to come with Leah and Annerson to stay with your kiddos!

Wendy said...

Steffany, you are incredible...inspiring...amazing. Not because your perfect, not because you have everything under control all the time, not because you have the "perfect life" but because you are SO REAL! You are so honest, you are so true. It's absolutely amazing to me how raw and real you are in this blog. Sometimes it's really great to hear that someone else has similar feelings and experiences.

Also...let's get together sometime. I'd love to see you and the toddlers...

Robbin Hopkins said...

Amazing post Steffany. Perception is 9/10th's of our reality. How we perceive it to BE is how it IS. Move forward with greatness... although you may have been down on yourself, your writings and your journey have been an inspiration to many to just do MORE!!!!!

Becky said...

Resonating loudly in my spirit!! Been mulling over this a lot lately.

Salzwedel Family said...

Perception is everything. Don't listen to the lies that are whispered in your ear. Praying for you right now!

Anonymous said...

It breaks my heart that you feel those things, but I love that God is using your brokenness to draw you to Himself. For the record, you are beautiful & are doing an amazing job with your family. I love you so much & can't wait to see you in 3 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's gotta be some kind of record right there for exclamation point usage.

crispy said...

Keep clinging to the truths of who you are in God's eyes. And you perception will change.

Love you my friend.

Sarah said...

beautiful...

Lory Howlett said...

I'm sorry you're struggling right now. God understands! He has given you some very big assignments, and you have received them with arms and heart wide open! I pray this will be a season of a bit of rest and recovery. Don't be too hard on yourself....the Father understands, and He will give you all you need. He is really proud of you. In spite of your humanity! And your skewed perceptions!

missy said...

yes, my friend, i can totally relate to this.