Straightening Out Your Perception

We respond the way we perceive. Unfortunately, we often do not realize that we respond the way we perceive. If we did realize this we would check to make sure that our perceptions are accurate. Perceiving the truth about a situation or a person can help us avoid mistakes and can save a great deal of anguish and embarrassment.

Consider two families who receive an adverse prenatal diagnosis for their unborn child. Both children are diagnosed with a fatal condition, anencephaly. One family sees the child as so compromised that it is best to put the child out of his misery and end the pregnancy as soon as possible. So they abort the child. The other family sees a child as a gift and wants to nurture him as long as possible, bringing him to birth and beyond as long as God allows. They bring their son to birth and nurture him for five days until he dies naturally. Then they host a funeral to celebrate the joy of their child. There is no difference in both children. The difference is in the perception.

Consider a homeless man on the street. One passerby sees the man as a nuisance to avoid. So he does just that--walks past without looking at the man. Avoiding him. Another sees the man as a child of God, worthy of dignity. He hands him a sandwich and says a word of encouragement to him. The man has not changed. He has been treated according to the perception of those who see him.

Consider someone whose faith differs from yours. One person sees the person of a different faith background as misguided and persisting in error. So arguments ensue with no party gaining an advantage over the other. A second person sees the believer as someone of goodwill, genuinely trying to follow God. A dialog ensues in which each person comes to understand better the faith of the other. The perception is different, not the person whose faith is different.

Our perception makes us life-affirming or life denying in the way we treat other people. Greta's little story, which follows below, might give you some inspiration regarding your own perceptions and how you respond to them. May the Lord guide us in our perceptions of and relationships to one another.

Silly Willie

Silly, silly, tiny Willie’s mother

did not know why,

but her son was rather shy.

 He could not talk.

He could not walk.

He could not even move or breathe.

What she did not know 

was that her son was a doll.

But that was not all.

She thought her poor son must be dead.

So she buried him down deep,

down to where the night snakes creep.

A little girl

with a curl

dug him up

and loved him so.

She loved him even

when he was old.

Now his story

is all told.

by Greta, Age 10 (Divine Mercy Sunday, April 12, 2015)

Have you done a perception check today?

--Madeline Pecora Nugent, CFP