When someone asks “How are you?”, we’re typically quick to answer “Fine!”, without giving it much thought. It’s possible that we’re actually very tired, unwell, had a bad night, or going through a difficult time.
We clearly shouldn’t just spill all our burdens to people that we don’t trust, nor to those that can’t do anything about it, but sometimes it is good to confide in others.
Let’s quickly look at these three things:
1. Seeing: this is what we see, feel, or hear.
2. Acknowledging: this is what we then say about what we ‘see’.
3. Concluding: this, which ties very closely with ‘acknowledging’, is our interpretation of what we see.
In Numbers 13 & 14, twelve men were asked to scout the land of Canaan.
When they returned, ten of the men said:
- “…it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey.”
- “…but the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified.”
- “We saw giants there… next to them we felt like grasshoppers.”
- “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!”
However, Caleb and Joshua said:
- “Let’s go at once to take the land.”
- “We can certainly conquer it!”
- “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey.”
- “…don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”
They all saw the same thing, acknowledged the same thing, but reached different conclusions. Some reached their conclusions based on fear, while Caleb and Joshua reached their conclusions based on faith. In the body of Christ, there’s a third conclusion, which is ‘fakeness’ or ‘positive speakness’. Those that express this fakeness may not even acknowledge what they’re seeing or what is going on.
Seeing, Acknowledging, and Concluding the Right Way
It is okay to see and acknowledge to oneself about being unwell or that things are not what we’d want them to be. It’s not okay for us to pretend to ourselves (or to God) and just speak positive words and stop there – that is being fake.
When we are being fake, we are not being vulnerable. When we are fake, we are “performing for others,” and nothing happens in the supernatural. Sometimes God will bring helpers our way, and if we’re not honest with them, they won’t be able to help us.
Our children and colleagues could learn a lot from how they see us handling our struggles.
If we can’t be honest with ourselves or with others, at least let’s be honest with God. When we see and acknowledge that things are not what we want them to be, we should base our conclusions on what we know to be true:
– “God is my provider. He is a God of abundance.”
– “God is in my present and in my future, so even if I don’t know how, I already have the victory.”
– “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him/her from them all.”
– “All things would work together for my good.”
There is nothing wrong with saying, “I am currently not feeling well, but I am healed in Jesus’ name,” or saying, “the business is currently challenged, but I believe that God can turn it around.”
Our New Perspective
We do not reach conclusions out of fear, because this discourages us and others. We acknowledge what we are seeing, but we speak in faith what we know to be true to ourselves and to others.
“God’s power shows up in my weakness. He has grace for every weakness.”
“Dear God, help me, mold me into whom You’ve created me to be. I know that things are not always perfect, but I know that You are always with me – You never leave nor forsake me.”
