‘What am I not seeing?’ – Part 2

Jun 01 in Truth

To Alice Bailey (1880-1949) pioneer of the New Age movement and a revered figure in the United Nations was attributed the famous ten step charter – a ten step plan for a new world order which insisted upon the removal of all Judeo/Christian traditions.  At the time this seemed inconceivable.  Just 74 years later, every one of those ten steps are a reality within our society.  There has a been a gradual corroding of every Christian value and principle which has been boldly and fearlessly replaced by one that has no consciousness of God or His ways – in fact, if anything, are now regarded as nonsensical and foolish.  So, where was the blind-spot?  Subtle-manouvering.  Change effectuated by gradual changes over time, that have resulted in a new popular and widely accepted/adopted belief-system, ideology and culture.

According to Francis Bacon ‘there are 4 idols of the mind – deceptive beliefs inherent in the mind of man’

1. Our own impressions ‘false assertions, false mirrors that distort and discolour the true nature of things’.

2. Our passions, enthusiasms, interests, interpretations – habits and behaviours learnt through education, the environment we grew up in and our own likes and dislikes.

3. Our political viewpoints, rational arguments, thoughts and opinions that can influence and misdirect others with misconceptions and falsities, ‘these can breed fallacies’.

4. False teachings/news/facts that are accepted without question, ‘forming false structures built on false foundations and paraded on the stage of the world’.

What am I not seeing?  Where are my blind-spots?  What are the gradual changes that unknowingly I have accepted and allowed to filter into my life unawares?  What false assertions and impressions have I adopted and received as truth that are not?  What drives me?  What are my motivations?  Who am I serving?  What are my daily habits?  What does my behaviour say about me?  Does it produce fruit that bring life, wholeness, peace?  Where are my arguments wrong?  What influences my mind most?  What am I feeding on?  What AM I focusing my attention on?  What false teachings have I accepted, that I may be building my life on that are destined to fall or built on sand?  Where am I deceived?  All important questions we need to be asking.  LORD, What am I not seeing?

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been researching the art of sailing, one article (David H. Hogg dated 05/05/19) says: ‘the only way to make progress in a sailboat is to properly align the boat, the wind and the sails … To discern the wind’s direction a ribbon or pennant is affixed to the main mast head (top). The skipper must remain constantly aware of the wind direction to sail successfully … eyes must often be pointed up at the mast head, where the directional indicator is placed … taking eyes off the wind for just a moment can stop the boats progress altogether.’

When the wind fills the sail, the boat has power to move in the direction that the wind is blowing.  As we navigate through a changing landscape, we need to discern the direction that God is leading in.  It is not for us to adjust our sail to the prevailing winds of the world (Ephesians 4:14) but to keep our eyes on His plumb-line, His truth ‘for where truth stumbles, uprightness cannot enter’ Is. 59:14.  That we may gain discernment in steering successfully through uncharted territory.

There are some things that we don’t feel we can handle and choose not to see.  Others we consider insignificant, of no consequence and decide they’re better ignored.  We had a small plant shoot growing in the garden.  I didn’t know what it was at first and was intrigued.  A year later it had grown into a small tree, I didn’t do my research, left it, thinking it would be quite pleasant as a new feature to the garden.  A few years later, that small sapling had grown to become a gigantic tree with roots big enough to affect the foundations not only of our house but the one next door.  We had to have it professionally cut down and its stump took years to utterly dispose of.  It was an important lesson at the time.  What do we inadvertently allow to grow or gain access to our lives – which had we dealt with it at the start could have been an easy problem to tackle and uproot – that left unattended can become a mammoth problem with deep-seated roots able to cause destruction, not only to us but those around us?

I watched a documentary on the fall of Pompeii a few months ago, they had received numerous warning signs, which were largely ignored.  People were comfortable in their houses and resistant to change.  What are the red lights in our life that we ignore? small warnings, advice, recommendations that we take no notice of or believe we can get away with?  We think: ‘There’s still time!!’  Perhaps there is something we do not want to see or address, so we find a route of escapism or lump it under a pile of other less important but more urgent things that help divert our attention and interrupt our need to address it, NOW.  A bit like the urgent need to clear out your closet when an assignment is due.

Finally, lets turn the question upside down and ask:  What should I be seeing that I’m not?  Something that should be happening, ISN’T.  Changes or results that I should be seeing that are not.  What thoughts does this question uncover?  Give it another twist and ask yourself:  What am I seeing that I shouldn’t?

Not forgetting how important it is to be grateful for the things we have.  We can grow so used to seeing or having something, that we no longer realise it is there.  Only when it is gone do we sense its true value and feel the loss of its absence.  Sometimes it is in the little things.  What have I become complacent about, taken for granted or fail to value that I have, but I don’t see?

Hopefully, we have enough here as we continue to ponder that question: What am I not seeing?

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