Perception vs. Reality

Day 17 Doxology: Have you ever had to discern between perception and reality?

Perception for the Church is we are strong and growing. Our youth are learning about ways to strengthen their relationship with God while maneuvering the potholes of college. Our young adults are learning healthy ways to fulfill their commitment they made, while as a youth, as they move toward more investing decisions regarding the family. The perception is the Church in America is growing.

The reality is the church is not growing.  Maybe the Church in other countries is growing, and lives are being transforms, but not in America.  The reality is our youth are more concerned with the tangible rather than the intangible.  So, as they grow and decide if church is for them, they review their past experiences and determine Church is irrelevant.  This revelation came from years of surveying my youth and extensive work done by The Barna Group. The reality is the Church in America is not growing.

Now, moving forward...today, while on the River Walk in San Antonio, TX I sat under an overpass as I waited for the rain to stop.  I sat with my family and friends and enjoyed the amazing company of both.  Seldom can you sit and waste time and it not matter.  The truth is it was life-giving (A term I use often).  While we sat and watched the world walk beneath the overpass where we were resting, I noticed that some passersby would glance at my family and me, while others would fixate their eyes on the river.  They represented their own race, age, relationships, social economical status, and other (I don’t want to leave anyone out)…BUT, there was this one guy.

My perception of this guy was immediate.  He was holding an umbrella and continued to hold the umbrella as he walked toward me.  It’s kind of like the guy that sways with the beat of the music, but once the music stops he realized he had continued. swaying  This guy had walked with his wife out of the rain underneath the overpass and stood with the umbrella in full force.  My perception of this guy was, “lacking!”

The reality is while we were sitting and watching everyone, and waiting on the boat cruise to re-open this man, his wife (pushing an new born), and about 3-year-old son walked into view.  Watching people, as I do, I couldn’t help but to noticed that this mom and dad had decked this child out in a child’s version of the “Letterman’s Jacket”, baseball cap, and the latest tennis shoes. They wanted the very best for this child and in life.  HE was going to be an all-star whether he liked it or not. The dad stood underneath the overpass and held that flippin’ umbrella while he and his wife were fixated on their son.  And I’ll tell you this; he let his son climb the wall to visit the duck that had attracted his son, and then he allowed the son to climb back down without rushing to catch him or to lift him or to nudge him toward the success of his venture.  He loved him enough to let him fail…I stated to think…Could I?  I was impressed!

Now, my point…perception verses reality.  The perception was this dad didn’t have what it took to walk down the street –rain or shine –but the reality is he was a man being a dad and nothing was going to distract him from his son’s needs.  I think if the church had this dad leading the charge our children wouldn’t be leaving the Church, and I believe that to be…not perception…not reality…but I believe it to be a FACT!