5 Inspiring Ways to Beat Inaccurate Perceptions - Jeanne Takenaka
Contents
When have inaccurate perceptions impacted how you saw the facets of your life?
I sat in church one recent Sunday, and I felt convicted. Or maybe it was condemnation tangling my thoughts and heart. I’d been dealing with anxiety from a number of different life events.
Anxiety has a way of twisting truth into self-talk that belittles and shames a soul. Our pastor shared a great message that morning. But it was during communion time when God revealed the disparity about what I thought He believed about me and what He actually believes about me.
Does anyone else have times when we’re sure God thinks one thing of us (almost always, it’s a not very nice thought)? But when we still our hearts before Him, He shares another, very different message.
That morning, as I prepared my heart to take communion, I apologized for my anxiety. My thoughts went round and round about how I should have more trust in my Father. How He must be so disappointed in me. I shrank further into myself as I recounted the ways I’d let anxiety win in my thoughts and heart.
I asked God’s forgiveness and braced for the rebuke I was certain was coming. I deserved it for not trusting Him with all the hard in my life. Didn’t I?
His response brought tears to my eyes:
I love you.
That’s all.
No condemnation, no, “You’re right. Straighten up. Choose to trust Me. Stop dwelling in this anxiety. You’re messing up, girl. Figure it out.”
Sometimes, we view ourselves through the eyes of our failings. When we dwell on these images, we always come out the loser, the condemned. Our perspective is skewed when we view ourselves solely through our own understanding.
How we move beyond inaccurate thought processes
I’m sure there are more ways to overcome inaccurate perceptions, but here are a few that have helped me.
- We need to choose to believe we are who God says we are, not who our thoughts say we are. Inaccurate perceptions about our value in God’s eyes will impact how we perceive everything else.
- Embrace God’s love for us, even when we don’t feel lovable. When our mistakes rise up and call us condemned, we need to lean into God’s grace.
- Spend time in God’s word, maybe even looking for verses that remind us how God see us, how very much He loves us
- Talk with trusted friends about our perceptions. This causes condemnation to lose power, especially when they speak words of life over us
- Ask God to help us see ourselves as He does. Reframing how we view ourselves takes time. So does choosing to remember God’s truth when the lies try to pull us down.
Verses to reframe inaccurate perceptions
Zephaniah 3:17—“The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Jeremiah 31:3—“The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: ‘Yes I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.’”
Isaiah 30:18—“Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.”
Isaiah 46:4—“Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
Daniel 10:19—“And he said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!” So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
God, through His angel, called Daniel Beloved. Each of us is His beloved.
Other Verses that Speak to How God Views Us:
How He loves us
Ephesians 1:4-6
John 15:13
Romans 5:8
Romans 8:32
Ephesian 3:14-19
1 John 4:7-10
Psalm 121
God doesn’t see us through the filter of our mistakes but through the lenses of His love and grace.
Conclusion
This truth takes time for me to embrace. I’m still quick to berate myself for less than perfection in my walk. When I begin to trip down the path of condemnation, I stop and remind me of those three timeless words God shouted into my heart during communion that morning:
“I love you.“
May we each remember our Father loves us. When we make mistakes or when we walk strong in faith. God loves us. When we stumble and when we stand strong. God loves us. When we question or when we cling fast to Him: Our Father loves us.
What about you? How do you discover your own inaccurate perceptions? What’s one truth that helps you keep an accurate mindset about how God views you?
Heads up: Next week, we’ll meet at Donna’s place—Serenity in Suffering. Be sure to bookmark her website so it’s easy to get there in the future. 😊
Most weeks, I link up with Grace and Truth, Anita Ojeda, Instaencouragements, and sometimes Let’s Have Coffee. Come join and read more encouraging posts!
Each week we gather here as storytellers, word weavers, and encouragers to make His name known. Our story is God’s story and this small corner of the blogging world, where we come together each Tuesday, needs you. This is a place where poetry, snapshots, prayers, and stories find a safe spot to nod in agreement that what we have to say matters. I am glad you are here and would love to have you join the #TellHisStory community. Add your own encouraging post through the link below. Spread some love by visiting your neighbor and leaving your own encouragement. Click here to read more about the #TellHisStory community and find a button to add to your site.
Each week we gather here as storytellers, word weavers, and encouragers to make His name known. Our story is God’s story and this small corner of the blogging world, where we come together each Tuesday, needs you. This is a place where poetry, snapshots, prayers, and stories find a safe spot to nod in agreement that what we have to say matters. I am glad you are here and would love to have you join the #TellHisStory community. Add your own encouraging post through the link below. Spread some love by visiting your neighbor and leaving your own encouragement. Click here to read more about the #TellHisStory community and find a button to add to your site.
