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(6:23) Drawing Closer: Perception and Reality · Filled with His Love

• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to Filled with His Love.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we don't act based on reality.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: We act based on our perception of reality.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: When our perceptions match reality, we make wise decisions.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: When they don't, we make mistakes that hurt us and hurt others.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Here's a dramatic example, and you may remember this from the news.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: In 2023, 16-year-old Ralph Jarl went to pick up his younger brothers in Kansas City, but accidentally went to the wrong house and rang the doorbell.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: The homeowner, 84-year-old Andrew Lester, believed Ralph was trying to break in and shot him twice, once in the head.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Remarkably, Ralph survived.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Thank goodness.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: He was simply a teenager at the wrong address.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: But the homeowner acted on what he perceived to be happening rather than on what was actually happening.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Now, less dramatic examples happen every day.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: A friend doesn't respond to a text and we conclude the friend no longer likes us.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: A doctor gives a brief response to our question and we change doctors because we don't think the doctor cares.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: The reality may be that the friend never saw the text and the doctor was simply pressed for time.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Perception and reality.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: When someone says or does something that bothers us, rather than jumping to conclusions, we can pause and consider alternative explanations that might match reality more closely.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: The scriptures speak of those who, quote, have eyes and see not, and have ears and hear not.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: When Jesus walked the earth, some perceived him as an imposter, others saw him as a great teacher, but his disciples gradually came to see him for who he really was, the Son of God.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: My prayer is that I will have eyes to see and ears to hear, that my perceptions will more closely and more often match reality.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and until next time, let's draw a little closer to God and to one another.