Some of the greatest influences in our lives are oftentimes not reality. More than we realise, they are perceptions.

How we perceive people, opportunities and even God often determines what we receive from them. A wrong perception can close a door that God intended to open. A right perception can unlock blessings that others completely overlook.

I experienced this first-hand some time ago.
On one of my visits to Nigeria, I went to a salon for a pedicure. As I waited, I noticed a young lady sitting quietly in a corner, deeply engrossed in a book.
It caught my attention because it was a book I had read many years earlier and one that had greatly impacted my life.
Immediately, I became interested.
I struck up a conversation with her and asked a few questions. She came across as intelligent, thoughtful and eager to learn. As we spoke further, I asked where she was studying.
Her answer surprised me.
She wasn’t in school.
Not because she lacked the desire to be educated, but because she could not afford her tuition.
As our conversation ended and I was preparing to leave, I asked for her phone number.
My intention was simple.
One of my sons oversees the Victor Adeyemi foundation, and I wanted to connect her with him to see how we could help her continue her education.
She gave me her number, and when I tried reaching her, I discovered the number she had given was false.
She had deliberately given me the wrong contact.
Why?
Her perception.

Somewhere in her mind, she had concluded that I was just another older man trying to get close to a young lady for selfish reasons. She never imagined that my interest had nothing to do with taking advantage of her. It was an opportunity to change the direction of her life.
Sadly, because of that perception, she walked away from the very help she needed.

Perception Can Become a Prison
Many of life’s greatest losses do not happen because opportunities never came.
They happen because we failed to recognise them.
Our assumptions often become barriers that prevent us from receiving what God has already provided.
Not every smiling person has a hidden agenda.
Not every correction is an attack.
Not every delay is rejection.
Not every closed door is punishment.
Sometimes our experiences condition us to expect the worst, and before long, we begin interpreting every situation through the lens of suspicion, fear or disappointment.
When perception is unhealthy, it distorts reality.

Perception Does Not Determine Value
One of the greatest mistakes we make is confusing perception with truth.
Something does not become valuable because people recognise it.
Neither does it lose its value because people fail to appreciate it.
The intrinsic worth of a thing exists independently of people’s opinions.
However, perception often determines how people respond to that value before they truly understand it.
This is why priceless opportunities are sometimes ignored, faithful people are overlooked, and even God’s blessings can be rejected simply because they arrive in unexpected packages.

The Greatest Example
Jesus Himself asked His disciples a profound question:
“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matthew 16:13)
The answers reflected people’s perceptions.
Some said He was John the Baptist.
Others thought He was Elijah.
Some believed He was Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
Everyone had an opinion.
But then Jesus asked a more important question:
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
What made Peter different?
He saw beyond public opinion.
He perceived what others failed to recognise.
While many saw a teacher, Peter recognised the Messiah.
That revelation changed everything.
The blessing Peter received was not because Jesus had suddenly become the Christ. Jesus had always been the Christ.
The difference was Peter’s perception.
Revelation allowed him to recognise the value that had always been standing before him.

Ask God for Clear Vision
Many times we pray for open doors.
Perhaps we should also pray for open eyes.
Because an opportunity you fail to recognise is no different from an opportunity that never came.
Ask God to help you see people as He sees them.
To recognise divine opportunities when they appear.
To distinguish between fear and discernment.
To avoid allowing past disappointments to rob you of present blessings.

Action Points

• Examine the assumptions you make about people. Are they based on truth or past experiences?
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see beyond appearances and recognise divine opportunities.
• Don’t allow suspicion to become your default response to every act of kindness.
• Remember that God’s blessings often arrive in unexpected ways and through unexpected people.

Perception has the power to either unlock destiny or close its doors.
The young lady at the salon did not lose an opportunity because help was unavailable.
She lost it because she could not perceive it.
May God give us eyes that see beyond appearances, hearts that discern His hand at work, and wisdom to recognise His blessings when they stand right in front of us.

-Victor Adeyemi