Changing how we see

Dear God, this is Kelley.

Did You see how I interpreted what that lady said?

It was an article in The Christian Century. Your daughter Yolanda Pierce shared what a fellow parishioner said to her when she returned to church after an absence: “I missed your smile the past few weeks. I want you to know I’m praying for you and miss you when you’re gone.” Ms. Pierce was deeply moved by this comment. I wasn’t.

My ears are different, God! They’ve been trained to hear insult, to spot ulterior motive, to decode and even recode(!) supposed kindnesses. What this person was really doing was letting Ms. Pierce know of her judgment of her absences, while sending a bit of shame her way, right?

No, that’s not right. This person was taking the opportunity to let Ms. Pierce know she was missed.

Dear God, I can’t take that in! I question it, doubt it, and go so far as to interpret it as an attack rather than the kindness it is! Thank You, God, for showing this to me. Thank You for the grace I know You will give me to make the deliberate effort to change my perceptions. Like the other hangers-on from chronic abuse, I get to peel this off of me so I can share in how You see, instead of how abuse taught me to see.

(More on this next time.)

Reflection

In what ways does insecurity impact your daily life?

Prayer

Dear God, I, too, have been trained to over-analyze and second-guess. Give me Your grace so that I may exercise the courage, the patience, the motivation to see as You see. Amen.

The Christian Century, March 2024, p. 37.