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It's all About Optics


It’s seems it’s no longer a matter of substance or what is right or what is true but it’s all about how things look or appear.  What used to be called “perception is everything”, is now optics!   

Optics usually takes complex issues and reduces them to what can fit on a poster or in a five second sound bite.  Good optics, especially in the world of politics, enhances electability and makes appointments go smoother.  Bad optics, on the other hand, can be the kiss of death.  The recent Supreme Court nomination process is a prime example of how optics, good and bad, impacted the appointment process.

Unfortunately, truth is often lost in optics.  If what is true doesn’t fit, truth is discarded or hidden.  Often with optics, a corresponding script is carefully created but the problem is that no one can really go off script or, if they do, the optics might shatter. 

None of this is really new, it’s just that the terminology has changed.  Paul warned Timothy about people who would not want to put up with sound doctrine (truth) but would gather around them people who would simply tell them what they wanted to hear. (2 Tim 4:3)

We are so bombarded with misleading and damaging optics but we can look to something (or someone) that puts them in their proper place:  “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  (1 Samuel 16:7)

The Lord sees beyond all human optics.  He looks at truth and what is really going on in the hearts and minds of people.  He doesn’t necessarily tell us what we want to hear, He tells us what we need to hear.

So, rather than relying on deficient and simplistic optics, we need to rely on the truths of God’s Word!




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