Reading Perception Is Projection a little while ago by Ange Recchia, I got to thinking about how we perceive ourselves, and how that can affect other peoples’ perceptions of us as well.
It brought back memories of old Bible lessons, of Moses leading the Children of Israel to the Promised Land.
Brought up as an oppressed generation, they weren’t able to share the vision that Moses had been given, and perished in the wilderness, leaving a new generation with the task of taking the land.
Perceptions may change in an instant, but change can take a lifetime.
At other times, change can be almost instant, although life will always test the changes, to see if they stand the tests of time.
Often times testing in real life can make one feel as though the change hasn’t come, or tempt them into backsliding.
Ok, so just who are you anyway?
The comments that I left on Ange’s post relate to people gaining their identity from their occupation.
This identity can be used as a base to build everything from status, to financial wealth and relationships.
But what if circumstances change?
What happens to the identity of the person if they lose their job, their money, or if relationships fail?
Someone once told me that circumstances are not who we are, they are things that we pass through….!
We can choose to pass through the circumstances, and change, or we can die in the midst of them.
This death may not be physical at the time, but can be an ‘inner death’, characterized by bitterness, guilt and resentment.
We’re told that the Children of Israel could have made their journey in a matter of days or weeks, but instead, it took forty years.
Moses had succeeded in getting them out of Egypt, but they failed to get Egypt out of themselves!
As a result, they died in the midst of their circumstances.
Often times in life we may need to reinvent our selves as far as our careers or relationships are concerned, but if we can’t let go of the past, then we can’t move into the future.
Getting the vision of where we want to go, and making a commitment to get there are essential elements of this.
Forgiveness is another essential part of this process.
I often wonder if the value of social status and wealth are more important to my generation than things like building good relationships, and being of good character.
How do you perceive yourself?
I remember addressing a group of young people a number of years ago, many of whom were single, and seeking relationships.
I asked the question: What are you doing to become the person that a potential partner would be attracted to?
Now I will ask you: What are you doing to become the person that you want to be?
Present circumstances and status don’t really matter with these questions, as circumstances change, and so can we.
Reinventing ourselves and moving on in life require just one thing to change.
That one thing is our perception of ourselves.
Are you ready for change?
