Perception

This week we watched a video on our brain and what we are perceiving.  It was super interesting to see how distracted we can become.  We also aren't as observant as we think we are.  Our assignment this week was interesting.  We had to share a clip from a song and we each had to write our thoughts down as the music was playing.  It was interesting to see all the different thoughts that came from one song to each of us. 

In our meeting we also talked about how smells can recall our memories.  On my mission in the MTC, our teacher had “Love Spell” lotion from Victoria Secrets.  We thought we had really been missing out on the world by just being in the MTC for 6 weeks, that all of us sister missionaries couldn’t get enough of our teacher’s lotion.  Later in my mission when I really had been far removed from the real world, I got a greenie companion.  We were so excited to unpack her bags for her and to see so many fabulous things.  She also came with a bottle of “Love Spell.”  I think she later gave it to me, because she knew how much I liked it.  In this same companionship, we listened to the Touched by an Angel Christmas Album all the time; clear into February or March even though it wasn’t Christmas.  Both of these incidents were kind of forgotten until a few years ago.  I wanted to see if I could find that same Christmas album.  I ordered one, not even knowing or recognizing the cover.  I decided to play it when it arrived to see if any of it sounded familiar.  I also happened to be burning a love spell candle at the time.  And the very day that I was doing this my sister was reporting to the MTC.  Oh my goodness, it was like I was in this mission nostalgia.  It was the weirdest feeling.  I couldn’t sing along with the songs like I maybe once could and wasn’t even sure it was the same album but as soon as it starting playing I was back in Venezuela having a humble missionary Christmas.  It is amazing what smells and sounds can recall.  They are powerful. 

I enjoyed our readings as well this week.  One talk really stood out to me.  It is called The Great Measure of Discipleship by Kenneth L. Southwick.  It was a BYU-I devotional that he gave a few years ago.  He was talking about the importance of seeing people how Christ sees them.  He held up a few items and showed how we sometimes see people as such.  

His first one was a checklist.  Do we sometimes see people as a checklist?

Next he held up a bunch of grapes.  Do we sometimes see people as a group    instead of as an individual?

Do we see the other person as a pest or a nuisance?  Someone that you don't want to deal with?

Do we think of others as distraction from the things you would rather be doing?

Or many times we do things for others only because it will put a nice reflection back on us.  

I really liked his talk.  He also then went into some parables from the scriptures and showed how man saw these people.  But in the end you can see how Christ changed them to see others more purely.  For example the woman at the well.  Christ had sent his disciples on ahead to get meat.  Maybe he did this on purpose so that he could have this interaction with this lady.  His disciples might have seen her as a nuisance.  As the Savior is talking to her, you can see her perception of herself.  She only thought of herself as a Samaritan.  She didn't see herself as a daughter of God.  I really liked thinking about this story this way.  

We need to be better at seeing others the way that Christ would.  At EFY several years ago they gave us each a pop tab and that was supposed to be our "spiritual eye."  We were supposed to look at others through that pop tab and see them differently, see them as the Savior would.