Robertson Davis said, “The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.”
Has anyone ever said to you, “You see what you want to see!”
In my previous appointment one of my jobs was to do some introductory pastoral counseling with individuals/couples I’d meet with them one or two times and if the issues could be resolved by our talking together, great! If not, we’d refer them to a professional counselor so that they could receive the tools needed to have happy, healthy relationships.
I can’t tell you how many times that statement was said in my office . . .
“You see only what you want to see!”
When that statement would be thrown out there, I’d know, “Here is our chance!!!!” Because more often than not, it would be true!
It is a disconnect in many relationships, actually.
One person is trying to show the other how very much they love him/her/they.
The other person has an internal bias that they may not even be aware of which causes them to not be able to “see” how their partner is expressing love.
It results in a vicious cycle . . . one partner feels unloved, the other partner feels like they are trying their best, and they just can’t seem to find solid footing.
Until they realize, “You see only what you want to see” instead of, “You don’t see how hard I am trying!”
When couples would get to that place of admission, it would be an open door to great, deep conversation and it would almost always provide a pathway for resolve between the two individuals.
So many times in our lives and in our relationships, we see only what we want to see.
We are conditioned to see things because of the life experiences we’ve lived through.
While those experiences do have opportunities to taint us in positive ways, simply because it is often human nature to cling to the negative/bad, we end up seeing things with a negative lens.
We take that negative lens into new situations, new encounters, new relationships.
And, we miss out on the beauty that lies within our new pathways of life.
When Davis said, “The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend” he is reminding us that IF our minds are conditioned to see the negative, to question authenticity, to be untrusting, that IS what our eyes will see.
However, if we work to prepare our mind to see the good, to be more open, trusting, loving, that is what our eyes will see.
Wouldn’t it be great if we started seeing the beautiful things every day? Instead of seeing the bad!?!?!!
How are you seeing things in your life today?
Can you be more mindful of seeing what is really there without the negative lens of pain of your past?
If we will practice seeing as things really are, not what our mind paints them out to be, odds are we can find happiness in ways we’ve not yet imagined.
Seeing really is believing! But just remember, our eyes only see what our minds are ready to see!
Grace and Peace,
Andrea