Perception: Living in a Virtual World?

From the post "Flirting: Friendly or Foolish?" there were some interesting comments made and one had me thinking about another topic: Perception.

I had been thinking about this for the past month about how a lot of people can get discouraged when they think they are in life alone. I have seen this many times this past year being involved in ministry and Life Group and seeing it in my own life from time to time. When someone perceives that they are the only ones who care, the only ones who have this mission, the only ones who give and sacrifice it brings them to a point of not wanting to do those hard things any more.

In the life of Elijah in the Old Testament, this happened for him as well. After he had this great piece of showing God's power to the nation by himself, he runs when challenged by the queen, not willing to make that stand once more. This lone ranger syndrome is seen when God tells him how there are more like Elijah in hiding waiting for the right time. He wasn't alone.

Perception as well keeps people excited about joining in. If others perceive that the church staff is busy and doing things to minister to people, they respond to serve and give to the cause. If others perceive that the church is not a sinking ship, they want to be a part of it. If others perceive that other people are involved in doing ministry, there is less of a tendency to try make people feel guilty for being a spectator.

Perception can go negative in other ways too. If others think that someone is rich, then they don't they ever need help. If there's someone who went to seminary, then they don't need any spiritual guidance. If someone is poor, then they are dumb.

With the proper perception, one can continue the mission for the right reason, spur one another on without using manipulation tactics, and refrain from thinking other people do nothing.

But this takes getting to know what's going on in more than just our little personal world and telling others about what you're doing (without sounding boastful, of course).

What's going on with you? What are ways perception has faulted reality?

Flirting: Friendly or Foolish?

Cheating. What comes to your mind? If it's a young person, it's taking the short cut on a test for school. If it's an older person, it's taking the short cut to feel loved and intimate in marriage.

I wonder where the term "cheat" was first use to describe this? The bible commonly uses the word adultery. But more specifically, my real thought for the day is wondering whether flirting is cheating or is it just "innocent" friendly dialogue (quotations because those who flirt often say "oh, I didn't mean anything by it".

I say this not because I'm currently guilty of this (nor am I saying I've never been), I'm just saying. Flirting seems like nothing, but it doesn't usually happen when a spouse is around, it happens to people the person finds attractive, it happened as you were making decisions to marry that special one to be your future partner, that's a good example.

And then I read this proverb yesterday:
Proverbs 30:21-23 "Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: 22 a servant who becomes king, a fool who is full of food, 23 an unloved woman who is married, and a maidservant who displaces her mistress."

Combine a person who is unloved by their spouse (or at least it is from their perspective) and have some flirting with an attractive person and someone who shows "love" to them (interest) and flirting becomes more than innocent friendly dialogue. The proverb says this thing is something in which the earth trembles! Trembles?!? It can't bear to see things like this happen. It's things that just shouldn't happen. They often lead to danger, danger so crazy that the world just trembles in anticipation of what will happen.

What do you think?