Perception

I found this post buried in my other blog (the one I don't really do anything with any more) and thought I'd share it...AM

"And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children."

Matthew 14:15-21 (King James Version)

I don't know what you may have been taught about the above story from the New Testament (assuming you had a Christian upbringing), but I was taught that this story was about miracles (more than anything else). But as an adult, I see this story differently - as one about our personal perceptions (in fact a lot of Jesus's teaching were about perception).

In the story, Jesus is the only one that wasn't worried about having enough food to feed everyone. All those around him saw lots of people and very little food (in fact, those closest were worried about gettng enough to eat for themselves). Jesus never worried, he knew there was plenty, in fact an abundance, everyone else just couldn't see it.

That's where perception comes in. If we can change our perception (one of lack, to one of abundance), sprinkle in a little faith, and add in the smallest amount of action -- we can accomplish what seems like a miracle. Just like the story, we can satisfy the multitudes and have plenty left over for tomorrow. This way of thinking goes for every aspect of our lives, from money to time. If we perceive that we only have so "much", we will always be controlled by that perception and live our lives accordingly. On the other hand, if we know there is always "more" and that it is in abundance.