The other day I was in Books-A-Million with a friend of mine who is a few years younger than me. Not only is he a few years younger, but he is just one of those people who is blessed to look “young”. As we were standing in the check-out line, the woman directly in front of us turned to ask us a question regarding a book. Upon asking the question, she looked at my friend, then at me, and asked, “Is this your son?”. WHAT??? She actually thought I could be the father of a 25 year-old guy?
My first thought was, “This lady has obviously had some type of accident that has damaged her brain….I need to pray that God will heal her.” My second thought was, “Hmm…she has no visible scars and looks normal….Oh no! She’s for real!” Needless to say, my ego was crushed. I’m only 38; there’s no way I could have a 25 year-old son. I thought to myself, “Do I really look that old?” I know I have SOME gray hair, but come on….
Perception is an interesting thing. Some say that perception is reality. Well I’m here to tell you, “That lady’s perception is certainly NOT reality.”
Here’s an obvious statement, “Things aren’t always as they appear to be.” As a guy, I take a lot of things at face value. But, the older I get, the more I find myself looking beyond the surface. It’s easy to pass judgement at first glance; after all, it doesn’t require nearly as much time or brain power. Here’s the downside: we often miss out on what lies beneath the surface.
As many of you already know, I recently completed my SCUBA certification. I’m looking forward to diving deep and going beyond the surface; there’s a whole other world to see down there. I can apply that same principle to the people I come in contact with everyday.
How about you? When it comes to relationships, do you stay on the safety of the surface, or do you take the plunge and dive deep? It certainly takes a lot more work to do the latter, but in doing so, we get a more accurate picture of reality.
Think about it.
-Danny
