Perceptions VS. Reality. Not Everything is What it Seems

Anyone out there watch Reba? My parents and I watch Reba every chance we can. At least my mom and I do. Dad would be rather watching something filled with blood, guts, and violence. Mom and I prefer to watch the comedies. Something lighthearted. For us it is a night of Reba and Everyone Loves Raymond. I have actually reached the point where I can repeat the lines word for word. These two shows help take away the struggles of the day for just a short time.

You can also learn a lot about life from these shows. Let me give you an example. I recently had a Cheyanne moment. Now, for those not familiar with Reba, Cheyanne was a bit of a ditz for the first couple of years. Later, they let her blossom into a beautiful and smart woman. But even as a ditsy blond, she had her moments where her heart and values shown through.

There was one episode where Van (her husband) wanted to buy her a real engagement ring. They were already married but being teenagers, he was never able to buy her a real engagement ring. So, he set out to buy her one.

Van set out with Kyra (the younger sister) to the jewelry store. Long story short, Van wanted something big and shiny, even if it was fake. Kyra pointed out that she would want something real. So Van buys a very small diamond, a real diamond.

When Van gave it to Cheyanne, she became ecstatic, until she said the diamond must have fell out. Then she realized that the tiny diamond was indeed, in the set of the ring. Van felt awful saying he should have bought the big, fake ring. But then Cheyanne pointed out the beauty of the small diamond and the most important thing of all. It was real and her husband bought it for her. She treasured that diamond and the ring. Even when Reba offered to give her the engagement diamond from her own ring, Cheyanne said no. She loved her ring just the way it was. It may have been small, but it was real. It was treasured. Check out the episode below.

Reba Full Episodes S02 E14 · The Rings

https://youtu.be/osuCjXg8dxk

Perception and reality are two things that clash a lot in our lives. How we see things, our perception and how things actually are, reality, are rarely the same. Often how we see things and view things are affected by our morals and personal beliefs. Even reality can become distorted.

The reality of Cheyenne’s ring was that it was very small. But it was also real, and it was a gift from her husband. Her perception of the ring gave it a greater value than what it was really worth. To her, the ring was precious. It represented more than a larger and fake stone ever could.

I recently had my own Cheyenne moment during this holiday season. My parents no longer have the ability to pick out gifts for me. The task has come down to me to buy my own gifts. While that was fun at first, its now become a chore. I can tell you it is no fun when you know every gift you are getting.

But I did get a surprise out of this year’s endeavor. I had the opportunity to have my own Cheyanne moment. Have you ever heard of the phrase, “things are not always what they seem?” Well, I have found that out more than once with on line shopping but never like this past experience.

I saw this beautiful ring on the Walmart website. Here is a pic. Isn’t it stunning? So beautiful. Good

sized. I decided to buy it for one of my Christmas presents. It was somewhat pricey so certainly it would match what was pictured right?

I waited for my gift to arrive. I even had to sign for it. Certainly, a plus for an expensive gift. It came in a brown bubbled envelope. I opened the bag to check the contents. It was then I had my Cheyanne moment.

When I opened the box, I thought the stones must have fallen out. The ring was tiny. The stones were tinier. No where did it match the picture shown by Walmart.

First shocked, I then erupted into a full laugh. This was not what I expected. My perception was as far away from reality as it could be. I was disappointed and intrigued all at once.

I pulled the ring out of its holder. It was so fragile, so delicate. On top sat the three stone, genuine, not fake. Tiny is size but the opal had fire in it. My dad told me that real opals are very hard to find now and very expensive.

I slipped it on my finger. I have plenty of rings for my fourth finger, so I picked a larger size to fit my middle finger. It slid over my knuckle with just a tug. And then came my Cheyanne moment.

I fell in love with the ring. Its delicate features. Gentle stones. Not to bulky. Just a quiet setting that offered brilliance. Real stones in a real gold setting. Something that is rare without paying an arm and a leg these days.

My parents are not rich, and neither am I. Yet, this ring is precious. It is so much better than some of the fake rings I have bought over the years.

The reality is the stones are very small. They are also genuine. My perception was that the ring was

going to be so much bigger, but it was not. My values and the realization of where this gift was coming from changed my perception to one of value and appreciation. It is one of my favorite things this Christmas and will always be remembered.

Remember a couple of posts ago when I talked about my Raggedy Ann moment? Something that came in the smallest box at a school Christmas party held the most valuable and precious item. Now, I got to experience that again.

But what if we reverse it? Maybe instead of getting something, you gave it. What if what you gave was not perceived as you were expecting? Maybe, someone else’s perceptions clashed with your reality? It can go both ways you know.

And now, we are entering into the season of giving. There will be plenty of opportunities to give a gift to someone and to receive one. Perceptions and reality may clash. How will you respond?

God uses all types of ways to form us. Whether it is from an event that happens in our lives or a gift. Even if it comes from stumbling across an unexpected treasure. I really thought the ring was going to be much bigger than it was, but it turned out to be perfect.

Our perception of things, people, and events are unique to us and our own experiences. Our perception can often clash with reality. But what do we do when that happens? I could have made a fuss and returned the ring. I could have given a horrible review and tell how they blew up the picture using the largest zoom lens they had. Or, I could experience the ring for what it is, genuine.

How we perceive things, and our past experiences can affect how we respond to others, to events in our lives, and to life in general. As we go about living our lives, I would like to encourage you to take a step back and see what God is doing in your life. How are you perceiving things? Is there a chance that your reality and how you perceive things are clashing at times?

If you were put in a situation like this, how would you respond? Maybe you have already had moments like this. Did they turn into a Cheyanne moment? We go through things like this all the time. The question is, are you watching and learning from them? Feel free to share, so we can all have a good laugh and maybe learn a thing or two from each other.

Peace,

Janet