1 Chronicles 19:3 But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?”
Have you ever found yourself seeing what you thought you would see rather than perceiving what really is? Misperceptions can be costly. For the Ammonites it was deadly.
When Nahash, king of the Ammonites, died, King David sent a delegation from Israel to express his condolences to Hanun, his son. But rather than receiving this act of kindness, the Ammonites accused them of being spies, sent to prepare Israel’s army for war against them. They retaliated by humiliating the delegation—shaving their beards, cutting their garments and throwing them out of their country in disgrace. Their ignorance so incensed David, that he mustered his army and went to battle. The Ammonites were completely destroyed. Forty-seven thousand men lost their lives due to a simple misperception.
It makes me wonder how much misperceptions play in the conflicts and separations we face. If I expect someone not to like me, my defenses go up. Without saying a word, I send a message that says, “Stay away.” My behavior changes in anticipation of what I think—based on my perception. The gap between us widens. Like the Ammonites, any hope of connection is destroyed.
But what if we looked at people with a different perspective? What if we treated them as if we were called to love them? Jesus says to love our enemies. That command stands regardless of whether our perceptions are right or wrong. Bob Goff writes our whole identity rests on how we love people, especially those who are different and difficult. Maybe separations that seemed inevitable wouldn’t turn out to be so inevitable if we were just willing to shake off any perception that hasn’t first taken a bath in God’s love.
So let’s hold our perceptions lightly. Rather than jumping to conclusions about someone and creating a divide, let’s do the opposite. Be willing to look beyond what you think you see. Don’t let your perceptions cloud reality, but check them out with God before allowing them to settle in.
It costs the body of Christ too much not to.