You are what you see!

YOU ARE WHAT YOU SEE!

It has often been said that you are what you eat. That is true, and quite understandable. However, it is also true that you are what you see. The fact is that we don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are. This is why it is possible for several people to take a look at the same object or situation and each person will see something different from the others!  Starting on a lighter note, I once heard this story of an American zoologist who told two men to catch lions for him at the price of $20,000 per lion. The men went into the forest to catch lions, after a fruitless search, they fell asleep from exhaustion. A short while later one of them heard the roar of a lion and woke up. He saw a pride of 50 hungry lions surrounding them, instead of finding an escape route, he woke his friend up and said; EMEKA WAKE UP WE DON HAMMER!!!!(We’ve hit it big!) While you can see Emeka and his friend faced with certain death, all this gentleman could see was an opportunity to make money. Same situation, different visions. When a young man sees a pretty woman, he’s attracted to her and sees a potential mate, a lion sees the woman and sees lunch!

Judges 12:1 says something really interesting ¹ And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.  Timnath was a major philistine city in bible days. Major cities made up the Philistine country in bible times; among them were Gath, Ashkelon, Timnath, Gaza, Ashdod and Ekron. As with other cities, Timnath stood out in image, figure and population. In contemporary times, we have four major, remarkably developed cities in the world, they are New York, Paris, London and Milan. There are so many things to see in developed cities, such as iconic buildings, parks and recreational areas, shopping arcades, good transportation systems and so on. Same with Samson’s days, Timnath is said to have had one of the most striking monuments in its heyday. It had great buildings and intricate fortifications. The point here really is that there were many things to see in Timnath but all that the bible recorded that Samson saw there was a woman! Little wonder he met his downfall in the hands of a woman shortly afterwards.

Take a good look at the President, most people see him as the President, his wife sees him as her husband, his children see him as ‘Daddy’, his friends see him as their buddy, his mentors see him as a protégée, his mother sees him as her son and will not necessarily relate with him as a subordinate, the list continues. How you see the President depends on who you are.  When you go to a barren land, what do you see? You may see vast areas of trees, grass, small animals, e.t.c. If you feel you have ‘sharp vision’, you may even see ants on the ground. However, if an architect goes to that same piece of land, he’s likely to see shopping centres, parks, gardens, multi-storey parking that can occupy that land and add value to it within a short space of time.

This tells us that you need to train your mind for your eyes to see properly. For you to see well, you must be in a state of spiritual, intellectual and mental well being. God’s word helps us to see well as your vision cannot go beyond the level of your mind. This is why the CEO of a world class company, say Microsoft Inc. cannot have the same vision as a village boy who never went to school. I once heard the story of the President of a country who invited several children to a visit to the state house. In the course of the occasion, he told the children to ask for whatever they wanted. The kids asked for snacks, refreshment, toys and the likes. Imagine if the President gave you that kind of offer! What would you ask for? If you attended such a meeting with your friends, the President will probably close the offer after first person makes his/her request! The difference between you and those children is your vision, outlook, experience and the state of your mind. Many times, people look but they don’t see. On the road to Emmanus, Jesus appeared to two of his disciples and had a chat with them, but they couldn’t recognize him because they looked but couldn’t see. In Gen. 21:19, Hagar almost died of thirst because there was a well near her, but she could not see it. Opportunities abound for us in business, relationships and life in general; the problem is that we just don’t see it. Sometimes you need to seek the help of a seer.  1^st Sam. 9:9. You need people to see what you cannot see. Your spiritual leader or professional consultant such as doctor or lawyer may see what you do not see but which pertains to you in his/her respective field. You need to buy knowledge, experience and vision. Buy knowledge, but don’t sell it!

It is very risky for a person not to see well, (Mark 8: 23-25) because such a person will make critical decisions with limited eyesight. Imagine a driver that cannot see well! When a President has poor vision, the entire country suffers. When a leader does not see stealing government funds as corruption, the nation suffers loss and plunges into anarchy. The beauty and development in Dubai is there because their leader saw the transformation many years before now. Ladies, do not marry a man that does not have an idea of where he is going in life, else he’ll raise a team of wanderers and you’ll be a part of it!

You cannot partake in a future that you didn’t see ahead of time! God told Abraham to possess all he could see ahead of him. Joseph saw his future in his dreams before partaking in that future. Jesus saw his death on the cross long before it occurred. Nothing was created that was not first seen. Cars, aircrafts, houses, movies, clothes, buildings, name it. An architect sees a building up to the point when it is completely finished, he has a 3d rendering and he even knows the color of the paint before the site is cleared and foundation for that building is dug. You are what you see. If you see only the bad aspects of other people’s personalities, or if you see only the bad in every situation, then you’re not a good person.

Read more, train more, seek more and see more, for you are what you see!