Perception...

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When I go into luxury stores to window shop or just give my eyes a treat or pick ‘something light', I make sure to carry a designer bag. Most times from my sister’s wardrobe, as my collection is still quite humble. Even when I’m dressed all the way down, the bag gives me an appearance of wealth/class; if I can afford what’s on my arm, then surely, I can afford what’s in their store. That’s the small mindedness spice life is being seasoned with by humans.

And so confidently I walk in, and they eagerly oblige my presence, answer my questions, then I confidently walk out without picking anything to their kind and expectant smiles(not smirks), because hey, I’m just not in the mood for you today, but you know I can afford your overpriced wares if I feel like it.

You see, they judge me by my appearance; it determines how I’m received in these stores. If I walk in with loads of shopping bags from other luxury stores... aha! Big fish!!! 

I remember walking into a certain high-end store with my sister and a haul of shopping bags from Selfridges and Gucci... they attended to us well, a notch higher than the polite smiles.  

All decked up or decked down with a designer bag on my arms or high-end stores carrier bag gives me the attention I need.

The way the shops attend to me because of my looks is the same way some people would judge you because of how you appear. Mind you, people, not God! 

You may not own the situations or the bag in my case, but because you carry it, it is assumed it belongs to you and you are treated thus!

You may be a good person, but dating a different girl every other month because the last one just happened to be a bigger witch than the last, gives you an appearance of lack of integrity. No one is looking at your uncanny ability to date witches.  

You will be frowned at behind your back by the ones who smile with you/the person you genuinely like just may be discouraged from giving you attention when you come around.

You may be a good girl, but if wives are always reporting you and confronting you for talking to their husbands, then maybe you should stop unnecessarily hanging around them socially... you may not own the situation of sleeping with married men, but you’re carrying the bag by always hanging out with them, the wives will surely attend to you.

You may be a good person, but you always have issues with jobs given to you. Unnecessary delays, money problems, sudden inability to take calls etc for genuine reasons or not, but that’s labeled you and your business, given it a look.... and many will not refer to you when a recommendation for what you do is needed.

You may not own the situation of being a gossip, or may not be the store to  buy any goods, but you always seem to be caught up in the middle of “she said, he said”. You will be tagged a gossip. Drop the bag, leave the store to avoid the smirks of people who should be learning from you or who should benefit from.

Note that some times I use bags that don’t belong to me, but the attendants don’t know that... it is what it appears to be and my reception is determined by it. So maybe you’re not really dating this flood of people, or ‘nepa’ is genuinely sabotaging your clients work, or you're not a gossip, or you can never sleep with or date a married man, but we see you exchanging suggestive messages or showing up with them/in situations where you never deliver your work on time.

God loves you! God sees your heart. God forgives you and always gives you a chance.

But humans see you, and the outward and then when they see a consistent repeat, they get tired of defending you even if ‘God knows’ as we often defend ourselves. So they show you love, labeled tough love and refuse to recommend you or your service.

God looks inwards! Man looks outwards. 

God forgives you, man judges you. 

As much as it’s you and God, He’s put you in the world to be a lighthouse leading people home to Him... His heart. Don’t ruin it for them with your shady testimony. 

Perception is so powerful... that’s why to flee from all appearance of evil... you can’t fool God, but you can fool man.

God knows your truth but don’t expect the average man who’s still struggling with realities of Christ centered life to easily understand and accept your struggles.

 

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“Avoid every appearance of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:22