Perceptions.

Have you ever noticed how your perceptions of something change the way you view it entirely?

A few years ago at CCU I took this class called Hermeneutics, which is a class all on how to properly read and interpret Scripture. One day in class, our teacher had us read a paragraph he threw onto the overhead projector. The paragraph talked about it being dark and stormy outside, about the cry of a baby, about a woman dying, and about a figure walking down a dark hallway. Initially our professor had us read the picture as if it was a murder mystery novel. Obviously, the figure walking down the hallway was the murderer, who killed the dead woman. The baby cried because it heard the screams of the dead woman, and the storm was simply to add a horrifying effect to the whole narrative.

But then, our professor told us to read the paragraph again, this time imagining it was the first chapter in a biographical work. It changed the whole outlook. Now, the baby crying is the main figure in the biography being born. Apparently, their mother died while giving birth, and the figure going down the hallway is the doctor, midwife, or maybe the husband.

The way we perceive someone or something makes all the difference.

Yesterday, I got a chance to read from John 5:19-29 and was really struck by something. In this particular teaching, Jesus is trying to tell those listening that He and the Father are one and the same; if you reject Jesus, you're rejecting God the Father and vice-versa. You can't pick one; You take all three persons of the godhead (let's give a shout-out to the Holy Spirit!) or none at all. The three members of the Trinity are that closely linked and a part of one another.

I don't know about You, but when I relate to God the Father, it's very much a fearful, reverential action (which isn't a bad thing, please understand). On the opposite end, when I relate to Christ or to the Holy Spirit, it's more of them being my "buddy" (again, not necessarily a bad thing). But the thing is this; God the Father isn't just mean or angry; He has a grounding in love and grace (see Exodus 34:6). Jesus and the Holy Spirit aren't just my friends, they also judge (see the above John 5 reference).

God is one and the same, so why do I view each member of the Trinity so differently?

I think there are a lot of theological implications here that could answer that question, but I think for me I'm perceiving each member of the godhead a little too differently. Sometimes I emphasize the three so much that I also forget they are one. Kind of related to a message that my friend Greg Lee delivered in December at Suncrest, I need to invite God to come and change my perceptions of Him. I need Him to show me who He really is, and not just what I imagine Him to be. I want to know God in all His fullness, and that means I need to be willing to drop the stupid little boxes I put Him in and allow Him to reshape the way I think about Him as I somehow try to wrap my mind around how big and huge He is.

Because getting a real picture of God can never be a bad thing.