For as long
as I live, I’ll never forget the ‘words of wisdom’ a former manager of mine,
years ago, let slide out of his mouth one day. I am a programmer and I work within a group of
other programmers. Our group provides
programs for computer-operated machinery, and the machinists who run them are
our customers. One day, our manager was
meeting with us over some ‘issues’ (that’s a politically correct term for
‘problems’ or ‘grievances’) that our customers were having with our coverage of
their night shift, or in their minds, a lack thereof. The programming department had always worked a
day shift and there had never really been a need for programmers to be on a
night shift before, but apparently someone had perceived there now to be that
need. At hand was the prospect of each
of us, taking turns, working a week on the night shift so that we would be
‘handier’ or ‘more accessible’ to our customers. We knew there was no need for any of us to
work a night shift, so this was something we protested vehemently. After MANY discussions, and in summing up his
will for us to ‘accommodate his wishes’ (that’s a politically correct term for
‘I’m the boss and you’ll do what I say’), he opened his mouth, and like a sage,
said, “Sometimes perception is reality”. Just like that. Wow. I
couldn’t believe I had just heard it. I
knew at that moment we were surely doomed.
The fact is,
there is only one reality, or truth, and that is God. Perception is, well, it’s exactly that; a perception or opinion of what is real. If reality and perception were one and the same, there would not be a need for the
two different words. People can ‘perceive’ a god in different ways, but
that does not necessarily mean they are correct in thinking that it is ‘The’
God. God is ALWAYS there, perfect and
never wavering, waiting on us to find Him, the REAL Him, not a perception of Him. Even Jesus says, in John 14:6, “I am the
way, and the truth, and the life”. So for this scripture in Joshua, God is telling us to
make up our minds and follow Him rather than our perceptions of what a god
really is. The ‘gods’ that we have
followed and served in the past should be let go so that we can turn our full
attention to Him. We can choose to
follow the false gods, our own selfish desires and addictions, or the real one;
Him. And that is His challenge to us:
Choose one or the other.
Oh, and that
manager? A year or so later he changed
jobs. He came to realize the truth; that
he was not really cut out for handling people, and from what I have heard, he
is happier for it. And truthfully, so
are we.
Prayer:
Father God, let us come to realize that only YOU are the truth, and the light,
and the way. Amen.
Kent Collins
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