The angle from which we look at things with our natural eyes can distort what we see. Usually we can only see what’s truly there as we look at it straight on. Otherwise it can look askew.

I have a collection of old, small bottles on the window sill in my bedroom. They are neatly arranged and centered in groupings. On the other side of the room, I have shelves with a collection of various small wooden boxes, also centered. But when I lay in bed and look at these collections from that angle, they no longer look centered. I see large gaps between some.

One day as my husband and I were traveling, we drove past a man working in his garden. It looked like he was planting some plants. However, from the angle in which I viewed him, it only looked like half a man. I saw only the top half of a man, and it looked like his bottom half was buried in the dirt. I know that was not the case, and that his legs were probably behind him, but that is what my eyes saw.

The same can be true of eyewitnesses at an accident or crime scene. Depending on the angle from which each one views the event, a number of eyewitnesses can testify under oath what they saw and all give a slightly different account. Our vantage point from which we view things is so important because it determines our perception of what we think we see. We can move slightly and see things differently.

Just as our perception with what we see with our natural eyes from different angles can be distorted, so also other things in our lives can be distorted by how we look at them. If we’ve been taught in certain ways all our lives to believe an untruth, that will become our perception of truth. Satan just loves to twist the truth so we perceive it from false angles. He mixes lies into what we’ve learned from watching others or into how others have treated us, distorting how we view life.

Those who suffer from abuse have been told it’s their fault, they deserved it, and they are to blame. The abuser causes them to look at the abusive incidents from a distorted angle and they begin to believe the lies. Even if they can get out of the situation, they will still believe they are worthless and live under the lie of a victim mentality.

We can also have distorted perceptions when we look at spiritual aspects. For those who have had abusive fathers or fathers who didn’t nurture and show love, they may view God as uncaring, unloving or authoritative. They may be afraid of God and keep Him at arm’s length. 

All of these situations require renewed minds to have correct perceptions of truth, which can only come from immersing ourselves in God’s word. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, to see things as they truly are.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” (NLT) As we renew our minds with God’s word and learn to trust Him and seek Him, He will lead us into all truth, and we can let go of distorted perceptions.

Hope Ministries is a Christian counseling center, and we are here to help. If you would like to speak confidentially with someone, give us a call at 845-482-5300.