A Less Filtered View

There is a strange challenge which exists in the mind of every person. When we approach a situation, challenge or even idea, we all bring our collective life experience to that moment. As much as we might try to disregard that, the task is impossible. Every aspect of our life will be informed and shaped by the previous experiences we have had.

Thus enters the challenge. What do we do when our life experiences eschew our perception to the point where we misinterpret what is right in front of us. When was the last time you reflected on the lenses through which you view the world? How do these lenses impact the way you understand who God is?

For some they have seen the ways people have used God to justify horrible tragedy, and decided God is not for them. Others have used their understanding of God to shape the ways they function in this world. Still others Have given up on God all together and see no reason to ask the question. The most dangerous group however are those who think they know God because they participate in religious activity, but in reality are missing the point all together. I realize that in this writing I am exposing the lenses through which I see the world and God. Yet one of my greatest fears is that I have a faulty lens.

Perhaps it is time to identify the lenses in our lives, and recognize the lens for reality. Maybe it is not God who allowed the tragedy, but the lens through which the tragedy was viewed. God might not be the problem, what people make God to be might be the problem. I wonder if it is possible to remove enough lenses to get a less filtered view?