What do you see?

Imagine a large bat misses its way at night into a typical Nigerian church; vigil night will scatter o!

In China, bats are revered as symbols of happiness, health, long life, prosperity, and love of virtue. Bats and good fortune are both pronounced ‘fu’ in Chinese.

In Nigeria, bats are considered to be emblems of witchcraft and evil. Not only evil but strong evil.

Imagine a large bat misses its way at night into a typical Nigerian church; vigil night will scatter o! The service would immediately change into a very hot prayer warfare. In China, however, such a reaction would be frowned upon. In that case, some may even see it as an indication of good fortune from on high.

In Naija my beloved country… ‘blessed fortune’ kwa? In less than one hour, that bat would become a burnt offering, and the smoke would ascend to the heavens, accompanied by shouts of victory over principalities and powers. Lol.

Same creature, similar biological traits, different reactions; it appears that the way of life cultivates a mindset that somehow influences perception, which in turn determines the interpretation of events and a lot of the time, we don’t see things for what they really are; we see them for what we are.

What do you see?

While others saw a lawless and wasteful whore, Jesus saw a heart that was broken in worship (Luke 7:37-38)

What do you see?

While the disciples saw a disturbance as a result of the children’s intrusion, Jesus perceived in their hearts the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:14).

What do you see?

While the Pharisees saw an adulteress who should be stoned to death, Jesus saw a vessel that needed divine life (John 8:1-11).

What do you see?

While they only saw a little boy’s lunch, Jesus saw enough food to feed 5,000 people (Matthew 14:13-21).

What do you see?

While they saw the madman of Gadara, Jesus saw in him an evangelist with grace to preach in ten different cities (Mark 5:20).

What do you see?

While some are upset that roses have thorns, others are delighted that thorns have roses.

What do you see?

While some consider their womb barren, others see the delay as preparation for the birth of a Samuel who would cause nations to prosper.

Drink deeply from God’s word and allow it to transform your perception so that your perspective is elevated from the mundane of this world to the very heart of God!

Psalms 34:5 “They looked anxiously unto him, and their cheeks became bright, and their faces were not ashamed.”