A few posts back, I wrote about my family telling me that my pancakes were burned. Last week I cooked some cookies and consciously made an effort to retrain my eyes to see the cookies different. What I had previously just called “browned,” I began to see, were actually closer to dark brown and as a result, drier of course. I’m surprised at the effort it took to retrain my eyes to see the cookies as attractive when they are very light brown. It was a conscious effort. I’m still surprised at the compulsion within me to resist taking them out of the oven when it seemed “early” because they weren’t my usual “browned.”
But oh, those light brown cookies are so superior! My my my! They are so much better. I never could have imagined the difference. I actually rejoiced, “I have conquered cookie making! My cookies taste like Cosco’s!” (PS I’ll give you a hint: one thing that helped also was putting the cookie dough rounds onto the baking sheet and then putting them in the freezer for 20 minutes before popping them in the oven. It makes the outsides cook faster than the insides.)
As I went through this “eye-retraining-process,” I thought, “This is how it is with seeing our assumptions differently and correctly.” I use the word “assumptions” to represent a lot of things/ideas that actually are Satan’s lies. They are against God’s perspective of how He wants me to respond and live. They are the “SPSS”: “self-protective sinful strategies” that seem so right at the time but they are actually against God.
I’m having those SPSS primarily changed right now through Audrey. I’ve seen as “burnt” instead of “brown” when I get upset because she seems unhappy with my care: therefore, she is my idol who is responsible for my happiness. Only if she’s happy, can I think I’m doing a good job. But God knows I’m doing a very good job and His opinion is all that matters.
And when I surrender and reject that lie/assumption/SPSS, I’m so much better being light brown! The eyes of my heart are retrained to see the truth. I’m walking in greater holiness and sanctification and it’s freeing. (But I still haven’t conquered life! :0) )
Do you have a lie/assumption/SPSS that you’ve been believing that you want to recognize as “burnt”? Leave a post/comment and it’ll help others who are reading this blog. Remember, you can be anonymous.