If you know me, you know that I don't care too much for politics. But I will tune in for the presidential election, mostly because I find it very intriguing to follow. Over the past few weeks, I've really enjoyed watching the presidential and vice presidential debates much more than I thought I would. The reason for that doesn't lie in the debate itself (they tend to be a bit too cliche and repetitive for my limited political attention span), but in the fact that we now have a wonderful social networking service called Twitter that allows millions of people to share thoughts and opinions instantly with others. It's been really interesting and entertaining to see the live commentary from both sides as these debates unfold. And if there is one thing I've learned in following this commentary, it is this simple fact: people see what they want to see. We all believe that our candidate was right, that he was the clear winner (or at least it was a tie, right?) and that the moderator was clearly pulling for the opposition. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this stuff isn't necessarily true: it definitely could be. But both sides are saying it, so someone has to be wrong, don't they? And I don't say this because I'm not guilty of it too...I believe we all do this to an extent, and I have found that there are many particular areas where I fail miserably here. But the reality is that this phenomenon does exist. Doesn't matter if it's politics, religion, sports, or whatever...we don't always perceive things for what they really are.
I have a theory about this phenomenon. I like to think that we all have "filters" in our minds that control what we see and what we don't. These filters are a function of our self-centeredness, only allowing what we want to see and believe into our minds and blocking out the things that might bring us pain or discomfort. We have filters for literally everything: people, sports teams, foods, movies. Everything. And they originate from all kinds of other things: past experiences, the opinions of others, rumors, how we were raised, etc. Our minds are filled with literally millions of them, all of which affect our perception of ourselves and our surroundings each and every day, and, left unchecked, can lead to some really bizarre ways of thinking on our part.
Let me give you an example from the University of Kentucky football team. It would be an understatement to say that they have struggled this season, and that the majority of the fans are not happy with the current coaching staff. Which is fine, in and of itself; everyone is entitled to their opinion on the direction of the program. Yet there are some who are so adamant about firing the coach that it has affected their perception of the situation. One specific example: a lady (one who wants the coach fired) called into a local sports call-in show recently and blamed the current rash of player injuries on the coach. Huh? That's some really skewed thinking. The filter in her mind regarding UK football's coaching situation makes sure that all blame for the negative things that happen to the team are placed solely on the shoulders of the coach. In other words, her filter has rendered her unable to look at the situation objectively.
This is such a small and inconsequential example, but the stakes go up dramatically when we talk about how we lead ourselves and others. Are we allowing filters to affect how we see those that we are leading? Did someone wrong you 5 years ago, and now that person can do no right in your eyes? Are you able to look at not only the good, but the bad in your organization? Or do you just block it out because it's too painful? Do you tend to only listen to advice you agree with? Or do you take all advice into consideration objectively?
Like I said, when the filters go unchecked, we lose our ability to think properly, and it hinders our spiritual growth. So how do we keep them in check? It's simple, yet requires discipline. Our minds must be surrendered to Christ. Only He can move us away from thinking in such a self-centered ways. And there is great news when it comes to this. 1 Corinthians 2:16 says, we have the "mind of Christ". Because of this, we have the ability to "see": we can see the world as God sees it. So, then, it is our responsibility to continually be applying Scripture (God's thoughts) to replace our own. This eliminates those filters, because it takes self out of the equation, and replaces them with God's own thoughts. The more we apply Scripture to our minds, the more we are concerned with others and less with ourselves, and we begin to think as Christ desires us too. By doing this, we are taking our thoughts captive, and making them obedient to Him. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
Perception is not reality. If a semi truck is driving toward me, but I perceive that it is driving away from me, guess what happens? The semi truck still runs me over. Indeed, we have to understand that Christ is the only reality. When that is our mindset, and His word is our mind, everything else will flow as it should, and as a result, we will be able to lead with love, service, and effectiveness. Make that your goal in how you lead yourself and those around you.
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