Your Eyes Are Playing Tricks On You

As February comes to a close, I realize how easy it is for people to get caught up in what they perceive someone else has. Valentine’s Day has come and gone but that day evokes feelings and emotions that are sometimes based on what we believe someone else has. Relationships are severed because the festivities of that day are used as a gauge of how much someone loves you. You may see a husband/wife shower their spouse with flowers, candy, and gifts and when you compare what you received or did not receive your significant other just may not sure measure up. But, I’ve learned that comparison is the thief of authenticity.

We can’t measure love based on what someone else decides to give or receive but what God said it is. 

Everyone’s life is not what you believe it is. People have the right to only show you what they deem appropriate to share. Their life is theirs and they can give you as much or as little access as possible. Comparing yourself, your progress, or your relationship to someone else’s is not realistic. You aren’t striving to have what they have; you are striving to be like Christ.

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

This is the standard for love, not Valentine’s Day. The way someone loves you every second of every day is worth far more than one on a calendar. I’m not discouraging participating in this day but never allow yourself to base what you have on one day. It’s important to understand that your relationship with your spouse won’t look anything like anyone else’s because your relationship with God is not identical to anyone else’s.

Jesus came to give us a more abundant life, not one like Beyoncé, Brad Pitt, or anyone else. The Lord isn’t looking to give you a love that mimics what people have because it is imperfect in its essence. He wants you to experience the perfect way He loves His church through another human being he created just for you. You may be wondering why this post didn’t come out on Valentine’s Day but I think it’s unfair to ONLY talk about authentic love on one day. Real love isn’t confined to what you see but what you choose to give.

Your observation of what you believe others have carries little weight in what you might really be experiencing. Your eyes will fool you into believing someone else has something you don’t because they’re more important to God than you are when all you’ve really seen is a mirage. A mirage is an optical illusion caused by atmospheric conditions, esp. the appearance of a sheet of water in a desert or on a hot road caused by the refraction of light from the sky by heated air.

Sometimes the conditions you’ve placed yourself in make you see things that aren’t really there. When you’re in a dry place spiritually, emotionally, mentally, or physically your eyes will start to play tricks on you. Instead of blaming the one you lay down with every night, take the time to go to God. God will open your eyes to what He desires for you and quench your thirst for real, lasting love. Some of what you’ve seen is the counterfeit with a big, shiny bow attached. It’s masked by fluffy social media statuses and googly-eyed pictures of a couple who’s choosing to give your eyes what you’re looking for.

Instead of believing the tricks your eyes are playing on you, try believing God and what He has to say about your relationship with Him and with other people. His love is what we’re striving for, not what we see other people having. His love is what you can be sure of because He gave you the ultimate proof: His Son on a cross. It takes no faith to believe what you can see or what everyone else is showing you. Real faith, just like love, is proven after it has been tested. Your eyes can’t test what speaks to your soul!

With All My Love,
Mrs. Truscott