“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal?”
~ 2 Corinthians 4:18
Once, I saw an online cartoon skit that showed a woman who some would consider to not be very attractive having problems in the dating arena. The skit showed that men were not attracted to her solely from her looks which made her have low self-esteem about herself. The woman had an outstanding character, was God-fearing, and was very pleasant in speech and conversation, but because of other people’s perception of her outside appearance she was often overlooked by men seeking to date.
Well, the woman decided that she would go to a cosmetic surgeon to change her appearance and to make her look more attractive and that is exactly what she did. Wow! When she came back to her workplace, guys that had never said two words to her were now asking her to go out on dates. When she went to the gym, guys that had never paid her any attention were now opening doors, running beside her on treadmills, and attempting to become her exercise partner while asking her on a date. Even at church, almost every single man in the Singles’ ministry was asking her for her phone number and seeking to get on her schedule for a date.
One day at a coffee house, the woman met a young man who inquired about dating her. She was very attracted to him as well so she agreed to go out with him. The two began dating on a regular basis and the relationship lasted for about three years. The young man decided to ask the woman to marry him and she was ecstatic! After they were married, they found out two years later that they would be expecting their first child!
On the day that the baby was born, the new father became very suspicious because the child did not resemble his wife in any way. Once they got their baby home, the husband said to his wife, “Our baby does not have any of your features and I am concerned.” The wife looks at her husband and takes him upstairs to their room and shows him a picture of her before her cosmetic surgery and hence began their relationship drama due to what I call ‘optical illusion’.
You see, images can be altered but the real person will always be seen regardless of how we “doctor-up” the outside. As with the physical appearance so goes the spiritual appearance of our countenance. Everything that we see with our eyes or hear with our ears may appear to be as real and right as rain, but the truth of our spirit will ultimately be placed on the center stage and we will conclude whether our eyes saw reality or a mirage or whether our ears heard the truth or stupor which we thought was transparent. Was it the real light or was it an optical illusion?
The walk we have in Christ has to be transparent, but we must also lean toward the Spirit of God in order to discern other people’s transparency. Just like Paul stated, “we do not fix our eyes on what is seen, but on what is unseen.” Everything that glitters is not gold, and every spirit that we come in contact with may say it’s sold out for Jesus Christ, but is there any light that proves it?
Today, do as the Word of God says, “Try the spirit, but the Spirit” and if it does not match up to the construct of God, then you are dealing with an ‘optical illusion’.
~ Rev. E Shon Hagwood
