Picture with me, if you will, a battle scene involving two of the most formidable entities known to mankind. This pair has warred throughout the centuries and will continue to do so through the end of time, taking their stand on opposite sides of every human heart.
What are their names, you ask? They answer to many: perception and reality, wishes and truth, feelings and facts, to give a few. But for our purposes, we will refer to them as Seems Like and Is.
The relationship between Seems Like and Is is a stormy one, to say the least. Sometimes the two agree perfectly, lock arms and dance; other times, they stare each other down and fight. In any case, their relationship is worth studying.
Let’s start with a description of each one.
Seems Like resides on the surface at the level of what’s visible. He relies on feelings as his main assessment of circumstances. He has a short temper and gets cranky in a hurry when his notions are disagreed with.
Is, on the other hand, dwells deep inside where truth lies. He depends on divine guidance, which comes from the invisible realm. He possesses great patience and willingly waits for truth to overcome, as it always does.
If all this sounds abstract, let me make it concrete with an illustration from my life. I am a typical firstborn (and an only child, at that): independent and used to doing things on my own. I like the sense of being in control and being able to handle things solo: “I can do this all by myself, and I don’t need your help, but thanks anyway.” I also like to plan ahead, and I like it when things go according to my plans.
What does that have to do with Seems Like and Is? Let me show you. Say I’m having a day when my plans are not working out. They’re unraveling in front of me. Unexpected interruptions, delays, and changes are making a total train wreck of my perfectly ordered outline. After a little while, I realize that my plans aren’t all going to happen. At this point, Seems Like and Is start a conversation.
Seems Like, who is unhappy and upset by this utter upheaval of events, starts off. “This is horrible! My to-do list isn’t getting done, and it won’t! I’m not being productive! I should just give up. It’s not worth trying. Oh, and I’m going to have a nice little pity party for myself too. I deserve it. Just look at the pickle I’m in.”
Is has been patiently listening all this time. Finally, he has heard enough. He replies, “Seems Like, things aren’t always how they seem. I know it seems like things are spinning out of control, but the truth is, you weren’t in control in the first place. God is the one who is in control, not you. His plans are not always the same as yours. Efficiency isn’t everything. You need to focus on what matters. You have reason to rejoice and be thankful. Be willing to adapt and be open to what God has for you. The other side of your wrecked plans may be a beautiful scene.”
Seems Like may agree, disagree, or sulk in silence. Whatever he chooses to do, Is sits still and waits for him to come to his senses.
So it is throughout our lives: Seems Like taking an assessment of what he sees and basing his conclusions on that, while Is waits in quiet confidence for the truth to be revealed.
The question at stake is this: which voice do we spend the most time listening to? Which one holds sway over our lives? As Christians, we’re called to build our lives on God’s truth, the only sure foundation there is (Luke 6:47–48). Yet while we’re living in this world, it’s easy to focus on what we perceive by our senses and make our decisions based on that. What we see is real, but what we don’t see is realer still.
Even when it seems like everything is going wrong, let’s choose to remember the truth of what is right, going deeper than what is seen and perceiving the reality that lies under the surface. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV).
Leave a Reply