I perceive myself to be a wimp. The reality, if I’m honest, is that I’m not. I may not be Susie the Workout Queen by any stretch, but I can run a few miles, do a few girl pushups, and survive an hour-long boot camp (barely). Recently a triathlete wrote that I wasn’t a novice at it since I’d done triathlons before. But I still feel like a neophyte.

Why is that?

Because my own personal perception of myself doesn’t match the reality. I wonder if it’s that way with you. Do you perceive yourself as less than?

I remember hearing once that folks perceived me as shy, yet I don’t see myself this way. It plunged me into some introspection. Was I shy? Were others’ perceptions of me accurate? In this case, my reality didn’t match up with what other people thought. I’m not shy.

Which goes to show we all need some sort of grounding force, Someone who accurately knows us. That Someone is Jesus. He sees me as I am. He perceives the depths of me. He is not fickle. He doesn’t overemphasize one part of me and de-emphasize another. And through it all, He loves me anyway.

He encourages, “You’re not a wimp, Mary.

He soothes, “They simply don’t know the outgoing you, Mary.”

And He corrects, “Stop beating yourself up.”

And He loves, “I made you to be you, and I love you.”

He is my Reality, to be sure. My perceptions may cave with emotions, or be influenced by the opinions of others, but He stays the same. Mind if I rest there today?