Sorry. Just had to do that. I saw a reference to the Miss Bikini World 2006 competition and I’ll readily confess that my head freely swiveled.

But, now that I have your attention . . .

Have you ever wondered what makes someone put on very little and parade around practically naked but think they are fully clothed? If you simply changed the name from “bikini” to “bra and panties,” the same individual would now be embarrassed. What’s with that?

To answer my own rhetorical question, its a clash between perception and reality. In the above bikini situation, the perception is that one is fully and appropriately clothed. The reality is that you are running around in your skimpy underwear. Replace perception with reality and you have embarrassment.

I see this every day with people who come to see me with health problems. Their diets and lifestyles are lousy, but they are “healthy.” “I just can’t understand why I keep getting sick?” Their perception is one thing, the reality is totally different. Change your perception and you change your reality.

One of the hallmarks of any community — church, country, business, social organization, political party, etc. — is that when members of a community act contrary to what the community stands for, it reflects negatively on the rest of the community. An athlete uses steroids, the sport gets a black eye. Soldiers torture prisoners in Iraq, the image of America is damaged.

Am I responsible for their behavior? Not really. But I feel the burden of their behavior because I am a member of the community. In actuality, that burden has very little to do with what I think or believe. It’s how others around me perceive my community. Yet, if I want others to be a part of my/the community, the perception of the community will override the reality of it.

That is why Christians can do the equivalent of running around in their bra and panties and call it a “bathing suit”  That is why a radical lifestyle is seen to be fanatical, extreme and foolish. Perception is more powerful than the reality.

I am out to change my own perception of who I am as a stand before the Jesus-Sender. I want my perception and my reality to fully blend. I don’t want to be an oxymoron (e.g., “honest politician”) before the World-Creator. I don’t want my perception to be overturned by my reality and be embarrassed. I need to reflect Him. If I’m running around in my skivies, but am calling it a tux, I don’t think He will want to have my shadow pointing in His direction.

Just something to think about as we slide towards 2007 . . .