The Aura of Perception (a way that seemeth right) vs. The Wall of Reality (the end thereof is death).

Looking at it, it seemed an easy call.  From the vantage point the deck at the back door it is obvious that the back yard has a gradual slope downward from left to right.  It looks that way, it feels that way and it certainly gave all indications that my perception was correct when one considered all of the observational data together.    It seemed reasonable then to dig trenches based upon that conclusion.

[Insert Trumpet Fanfare here for Jeske’s Law]

Halfway through the job of laying the tile in the first trench we hit the wall of reality.  The warm soft warm fuzzies of Perception were met in a head on collision by the cold hard facts of Reality.  Either we all (five of us) forgot all we ever learned in basic math classes, or the back yard had a gradual slope downward from RIGHT TO LEFT!!!!!

Bottom (of the trench) line was:  We needed to do some serious additional excavation of our trenches in order to have a slope to our drainage tile.

[Insert Trumpet Fanfare here for Jeske’s Law]

This meant that there was no hope of being on the same level for connection to the discharge transport in the front yard so some adaptation to the plan had to be made and additional trenching would need to be done in the front yard to make connection to the transport at about the halfway point to the street.

As I made a trip to the hardware store for a pick and a trench shovel, I was discouraged … I admit it.  After months of planning and anticipation and a great start to the project, all of the confidence, enthusiasm, and positive feeling was leaking out of my balloon and my gondola was about to be sunk in the middle of the sea of despair.

By the end of the day, however, the Lord used the encouragement of my two sons, the hard work of all four of my helpers and several reminders from His Spirit to patch the leak in my balloon and stop my descent just before I hit the waves.

The experience of finding that my perceptions did not match reality reminded me of the truth of the Proverbs 14.12: “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, the end thereof is death.”

The legal term “prima facie” means “on its face” … or “at first appearance”.  It refers to how a case seems at first look without looking at the other side of it.  It is what is assumed to be true unless evidence is brought to contradict what seems to be the case.  That is the sense here in the phrase “There is a way that seems right unto a man ….”  There is no guarantee of certainty … there is plenty of room for doubt and a need for further investigation.

I should have tested my visual perceptions by investigating and getting empirical evidence before digging the trenches to begin with.  The fact that the mind of a man is so willing to be satisfied with merely seeing is why so many think they are right and are doing right, when in truth (upon testing and further investigation) they are found to be absolutely and sometimes perilously wrong. It may seem that they are in the way to heaven, while in reality they are on the way to hell.  Unless the mist of perception is dispelled, they will one day hit the wall of reality and be eternally lost.

There is only one way (John 14.6) and any other way is nothing but a mist that will, in the full daylight of truth, be dispelled to reveal the reality of its ruinous destination.

Have you tested your perceptions about the “way” you are following in your spiritual journey against the truth of the Word?