How we see things

A while back I had someone comment on my blog, in their comments they said that if a person approaches Scripture with a certain lens in place, they would see in Scripture what they want to see. I agree with them completely. A few years ago I had a conversation with someone that I could easily see the result of approaching Scripture with a lens in place, although I wouldn't have called it that then, and in truth, I don't call it that now. I generally refer to it as reading Scripture with a certain set of beliefs in place which allows someone to see Scripture through those beliefs, whatever they may be. But calling it a lens is the same thing.

We have recently come through yet another presidential election. This election basically tore people in two, those wanting this candidate to win on one side, those wanting that candidate to win on the other side. Personally, I have less than zero use for politics. I do my best to avoid all things political at all costs. Normally I succeed but this year, despite my best efforts to stay far from the political upheaval our country experienced with this presidential election, I could not avoid all of it. I have a social media account and it was filled with the opinions of others on which candidate should be president. I have family that followed the candidates. I heard it spoken of in town. I saw it every time I got on my computer or smart phone. It was, quite simply, everywhere. And that's not even getting into the signs in people's yards or on businesses. There was no escaping it, although I did my best to do so.

Once the election was over, and things were in a whole new level of upheaval, I had a visit with a family member that supported one of the candidates. Because I don't intend this to be a political post, I'm not going to get into which candidate this person supported but they had their favored person and they had strong feelings about why that candidate should be president and why the other one should not be president. During this visit with this family member we had another family member join us, the other family member supported the other candidate. These two family members sort of argued among themselves about why this candidate should be president and that one should not, and they both were arguing against each other. Now, this took place after the election so none of it mattered anymore anyway but they both had strong beliefs, and strong arguments, for their chosen candidate.

Again, I'm not trying to get into politics, only using them to support my point. You see, after the election I heard or read, can't remember which, somewhere that the news media had been very good at misleading the people that supported a certain candidate. I even read where someone said they would never again believe anything written in the news. But...here's the thing. It seems that certain news outlets supported one candidate while others supported the other, with most mainstream news outlets supporting the same candidate and spinning all articles to support that person.

I did not follow any of this. I tried hard to avoid all the political...nonsense. In fact, I went so far as to avoid social media at times and when I wasn't avoiding it there were a number of times that I blocked certain messages from showing up in my account. I DID NOT want to see any of it.

But here's where all this political stuff meets the lens through which we view Scripture, not because the two connect but because they are approached the same way. The people, and I can use my two relatives as an example of this, that listened to certain media outlets were fed a steady stream of support for a particular candidate. That relative then, hearing nothing but support for their chosen candidate, began to believe everything they heard and read about that wanna-be president. The other person leaning toward the other candidate leaned toward media sources that promoted their chosen wanna-be president. I, on the other hand, approached the whole election from yet another lens, or view point, I simply wanted nothing to do with it. I did not care which candidate was being promoted, who was in what state, what they said, wanted, or lied about. I did not care about any of it except for how soon it would all go away.

That is three different views, or lenses, through which three different people approached the recent presidential election. I don't know how my relatives came to be supporting the candidate they did....I simply did not want to hear their explanations for why they chose the one they did so I did not ask them. But there, on that day, all three of us, with three different lenses firmly in place, came together, after the election was over, in the same room. And as I sat there, glad it was over and wishing everyone would just accept things the way they were and get on with their lives, listening to my two relatives argue back and forth between themselves about why this one should have won, why that one should not have won, and why, in each of their perspectives, the opposing side was a monster.

Now, I happened to know a little (not so secret) secret about these two relatives, a secret that kind of negated the whole argument. In my eyes at least. And so I stepped between these two relatives who were now standing about two feet apart and held my hands out toward them. I, probably rather rudely, interrupted their argument, and asked relative A if they had voted, a question I already knew the answer to, and got the response that, no, they had not voted because without them realizing it their voter registration had expired and when they went to vote they were turned away and not allowed to vote. I then turned to relative B and asked the same question. From relative B, I was told, no, they didn't vote because they missed the deadline to register to vote, not realizing that there was a deadline.

So, through my lens of avoiding politics at all costs, I saw this whole argument as ridiculous, and the election was over so let's just forget it, kind of view, I pointed to relative A and said, "You wanted __________ to win, you would have voted but they wouldn't let you because you weren't registered". Then I turned to relative B and said, "You wanted ___________ to win, you would have voted but you didn't get registered in time and couldn't vote." Then I looked between them both and pointed out what seemed so obvious to me, "Neither one of you voted but if you had, You (I pointed to relative A) would have voted for _________, and you (I pointed to relative B) would have voted for _________. You would have voted against each other and cancelled each others vote out. The results would be exactly the same only each side would have one more vote. So it wouldn't have mattered in the least, Trump would still be president. Can we please eat our ice cream and forget all this political nonsense?"

So there we stood, three people approaching politics from three different sides, or lenses, in the middle of the living room. I looked at the two of them, both passionate about their chosen side, one glad their candidate won, the other upset, hurt and worried because their candidate did not win. And I pointed out something that seemed obvious to me, 'neither of these candidates is what you think they are, they say what they want you to hear to get elected.' I admit I've lived through, maybe survived is a better description, more elections than either of these relatives have, it could be that that makes a difference, I don't know.

But I stood there, between these two people that I love, hearing them argue, seeing their feelings for why they supported the person that they did, and couldn't help thinking that it's all for nothing. Politics isn't going to make the world a better place. A so called better president won't make America a better place. Undoing what the last president did isn't going to make America great again. Scripture tells us that things in the world will only get worse...and worse...and worse. There is no better.

I have seen many, many things on social media about how America needs to put God first again so that America can be great again. America is about as good as it's going to get, sad as that is. As with the winning president, it no longer matters what we want, we must simply accept what is. Scripture tells us that in all things we must be content. Americans believe that the voters in America chose the new president, or they believe the voters college chose him, but in reality, God in his sovereignty chose the new president, He only used people to make it happen. It is what it is and we must accept it.

With the exception of a handful of people, all friends or family, all of the people I am connected to through social media are 'Christian' authors or are somehow tied to the 'Christian' writing world. It was a world I was a very small part of for a short time. These 'Christians' come from every denomination conceivable. The good news, for me, is that because almost all of my friends at least claim to be 'Christian' the content of their posts is usually restrained. They all view life from some sort of 'Christian' viewpoint. I am very grateful for that. But even among these 'Christians' I often see foul language, sin-filled movies supported, and idolatry to the extreme.

And I see something else too...I see their opposing sides. I see the denominations coming out in them. I am even a part of a reformed group through social media and I often see the opposing sides in comments on posts on that group. Somehow, Armenians have filtered into the group. That's a good thing for them, they can see Truth as it is written in Scripture, but it's a bad thing for those trying to have a conversation from a reformed point of view. The Armenians never fail to throw in all the false teachings that you hear in most 'church' pulpits.

Like politics, Scripture is approached through a lens. The Arminians approach it from their beliefs and the reformed approach it from their beliefs. And quite honestly, it doesn't stop there. The Baptists approach life through the Baptist doctrines they have been taught, the Roman Catholics approach it through what they have been taught. The Presbyterians...the Pentecostals...the Methodists...the Episcoplians....well, you get the idea. However many different denominations there are, they all approach Scripture and life through what they have been taught in their denominational beliefs.

And they all will argue in support of what they believe.

Because they approach any given situation with a lens in place. As I write this, I know I have written on this topic before. I know a good part of what I'm writing now may well be repeated in another post but it's what has been on my heart to write so I'm going to write it. Maybe it's the recent political unrest, maybe it's something else, but whatever the reason, I feel the need to write this.

Just the other day my husband received a text from a family member. There is a long, personal, story behind what was happening at the time and why this relative text my husband but the gist of the text messages that passed between my husband and this relative was that said relative had some trouble with another relative (and just for clarification, these relatives are not the people I wrote of earlier) and the family member texting claimed not to have done what they were accused of doing and wondered if we had been told the whole story, which they filled in.

I couldn't help thinking later that those texts and the situation that those family members found themselves in, and thereby pulled us into, was much like viewing Scripture through a lens, or seeing politics in a certain way. A certain situation came up between those two people and each one had a story to tell about how it happened. I wasn't there, wasn't a part of what happened, and only became involved because my husband and I were pulled into it. I don't know the truth of what happened and it really has no relevance for me. I must simply navigate through the aftermath. It's kind of like my relatives conversation about the presidential candidates, it mattered not to me what happened that had them both so excited and upset, it only mattered what was happening in front of me.

Last year my husband encountered someone that did something that resulted in the man my husband met going to prison. This man told my husband repeatedly that he was innocent of what he was accused of doing. This man had a story to tell, a story he told my husband many times. I am sure if you were to speak to the police or others involved in what this man did, you would get a different story. They all have their lens through which they viewed the situation.

A victim in a crime will always view the situation through the eyes of a victim. The perpetrator will view it through their eyes. Law enforcement will view things through their eyes, eyes that have seen all sorts of things, experienced who knows what, and are trained for just about everything.

Just yesterday I saw something on social media that said something to the effect of 'you are the movies you watch, the books you read, the friends you surround yourself with so choose wisely'. I didn't particularly care for that statement but it had a ring of truth to it. We are what the Lord intends us to be, we are the result of experiences that turn us into what we are...but what are those experiences? They are the things we do and see, the experiences we have, the way we are raised, the family members we have, the friends we make. We tend to surround ourselves with people who think much like we do.

I have a small, six inch doll, that I enjoy sewing for and photographing in different scenarios. This little doll is my hobby. I use this little doll to occupy my free time, to spend time with one of my daughters, who has a similar doll that she enjoys, to connect with other people that have one (or many) of these little dolls. There really is nothing special about this little doll. Those that have these dolls see plenty of specialness in them but in reality...they are dolls. They are fun only because we make them that way. But these little dolls bring people together that would never have become friends if not for this little doll. It isn't because the doll is in any way special but because the doll is the connection that helps perfect strangers find a middle ground that they enjoy together. In short, here we are, adults that play with dolls. We make them clothes, some have dollhouses for them, we set them up in scenes and take pictures of them. We travel with them and take pictures of them in various places. And in doing so we share them, and their adventures, yes, these dolls go on adventures, with each other. They are the connection between strangers...strangers that approach at least part of their lives through these little dolls that give us a lens that we view certain scenarios through.

I have a daughter that thinks my playing with this doll is strange. This daughter plays with a lizard. We all have something that we do to pass the time, something that gives us a break from the reality of this fallen world and the stresses it causes. I have a doll, and have made friends because of this doll. My husband plays golf and has friends that share his enjoyment of what I see as hitting a ball with a stick, something that makes you tired and sore. I have played golf with my husband, will probably do so again. I have enjoyed my daughters lizard, will no doubt do so again, but I enjoy those things only because my loved one enjoys them. You will never catch me out playing golf just because I wanted to do so, nor will I own a lizard just because I want to do so. But I do have a doll just because I want to do so. My daughter has played with my doll because she was sharing that with me and my husband has admired the dresses I make for my doll and the scenes I set her in. We cross paths in our interests but we do not truly share those interests with each other. But there are people that we each know that truly share our interest in each of these things, people that we can share our enjoyment with, knowing that they are truly enjoying the things we are and not just humoring us to spend time with us in our enjoyment.

These things...these hobbies...these seemingly insignificant things in our lives, while mostly unimportant, hold big importance for each of us. Not so much because they are that important. I could give away my little doll, her clothes and the supplies I have for making them, and go on with my life. Would I miss her? Yes, but she truly isn't that important in the whole scheme of things. This little doll is something to do. Something to pass the time. But she is also something that has effected me, at least at some level. What was it about that doll that made me like her in the first place? I don't know the answer to that but I do know that there are people, even adults, that enjoy dolls and there are people that can't stand dolls in any form. Just as some people like certain sports over other sports and some people don't like sports at all.

We are the product of certain things in our lives. Those things are all things that the Lord used us to turn us into what we have become but in becoming what He wanted us to be, we also formed lenses through which we view the world.

Last year my husband and I had a discussion on how our choices affected our children and what they became. This discussion was the result of my own thoughts, thoughts I shared with my husband. I can see in my children the influence I have had on them. I can see in other peoples children the influence they have had on them.

I have a nephew that is what, I guess, could be called sweet and sour all at the same time. He has a very sweet nature. That seems to be his own inbuilt personality but he also has another side, a side that is the result of his upbringing. Part of that upbringing has instilled a sweetness in him that I never instilled in my own children and part of it has instilled a difficult to deal with type of misbehavior. It all adds up to what my nephew is...at least so far.

I've heard the argument on children and their behavior and personalities many times before, the argument on whether or not its the nature of the child or the result of their upbringing, or what they refer to as the nature verses nurture debate.

Scripture says that the Lord has assigned everyone a life and that we must live the live we are assigned to. That negates the argument of nature verses nurture but it does pull both situations into play. It's not nature or nurture. It's an inbuilt personality, given by the Lord, to each person, a personality that we begin to see in children when they are babies. I have the opportunity to see this first hand in my grandchildren. I have a granddaughter that has been doted on from birth, a granddaughter that should, by all reasoning, be a sweet baby, and she is, in her own way, but she is also a very unhappy baby. There is no logical reasoning behind this unhappiness. She is loved and cared for. But this baby is simply an unhappy baby. I have a niece that should be an unhappy child but is, for the most part, happy with the littlest things. She will content herself with a scrap of paper and she's only a baby. There are nature and nurture issues at work in both of these babies. But realistically these baby's have the nature that the Lord gave them and that nature is being shaped into what these babies are and what they will become by the nurturing that they are receiving. They are both a product of what was inside them before they were born and of what has happened in their life since they were born. The Lord is molding them into who they want them to be.

Children are born the way they are, they have their own personalities even at birth but they also become what they do because of the experiences in their lives that shapes them into what they will one day be. I have a relative that in her teens she became friends with another teenage girl that led her onto a bad path. Scripture says that path was the life assigned to that relative but there was an earthly experience that got her started on that path.

And it is all those experiences in life, good or bad, and our inbuilt nature that makes us view everything through lenses. Recently I have been seeing just how those lenses play into things. One 'Christian' belief verses another one will have two people that claim to be 'christian' at each others throats, arguing about which of them is right. Differing political beliefs have turned America into something that reminds me of the aftermath of the civil war. I have heard of people that have disowned parents, children, and siblings because their family members voted for the other side in the presidential election. I have seen people argue about the best way to diaper a baby, about the best way to feed one.

We all approach life through our experiences and beliefs and because we do we see all of life in a certain way. I can't enjoy so much of what many consider fun entertainment because I see the sin that is promoted in movies and music. Others see no problem with those same movies and music and love to enjoy those things. I believe what Scripture says as it is written and do not believe that we should change anything to suit our own beliefs. I believe that my beliefs should be changed to follow Scripture. Others read Scripture and change it to support the things they believe.

It's all in how we see things.