Imagine this…

You are running late for work, already flustered, already feeling behind. You are driving over the speed limit, but in your mind it feels justified. You cannot be late again. Not today.

Someone cuts you off.

You slam on your brakes. Your heart jumps. You almost hit them.

They roll down their window and call you everything but a child of God. And it sends something through you. You are livid.

What you do not know is that they are also in a hurry. They also have somewhere urgent to be. They are also carrying something heavy. And the last thing they needed was a near accident.

Words are exchanged. Eventually, both of you drive off.

But the interaction does not end there.

You are both still angry. Shaking your heads. Rolling your eyes. Replaying it in your minds. Saying choice words again, this time in the comfort of your own cars.

Situations like this always cause me to pause when I find myself in them. I think to myself,

“Everybody is justified in their own eyes.”

If you are sensitive enough, that reality can be scary.

Because if we are upset enough, overwhelmed enough, we can be completely out of touch with the reality of right now in just a split second. And if we feel entitled or attempt to justify ourselves, we can stay out of touch with reality for days, months, or even years.

That may sound extreme for this scenario, but these moments happen daily, and the truth is, anything can follow from them.

This becomes even more gut wrenching when it comes to deeper, weightier matters in our personal lives.

But it can also relieve us of some burdens.

One of those burdens is the disillusionment of being understood.

Since the fall, perception has been broken.

Adam said it was the woman. Perhaps he truly believed he was justified.

Eve said it was the serpent. Maybe she really thought that was a sufficient explanation.

Who knows?

What we do know is that the shame, the hiding, and the covering tell us something. Deep down, they knew the truth about what they had done. The serpent told them they would. This is just a hunch, not an exegetical deep dive, but it points to something important.

Perception has been skewed since the fall.

Living in a broken world means we have to do intentional work to detach from lies, rest in Christ (Hebrews 4:11), and allow Him to restore our lenses so we can see truth again.

There are many sides to every story.

When faced with betrayal, lies, or half truths, I have learned that the realization that everyone feels justified is what helps me throw my hands up and step back. People you think know you deeply can still misunderstand you. You may be wrong about people you think you could write a book about.

Or maybe someone, deep down, knows they are believing a lie.

What each party sees, and what God sees, can differ greatly.

People do not always believe truth. Often, they believe what feels safest or most comfortable to believe, and they spread that narrative.

And I am left with my difficult daily task.

Surrender.

No control. Just surrender.

Trusting God to do what He does best in me, if my heart or perspective needs adjusting, or in due season, in others.

So my hope and prayer is for sensitivity and sight to be restored.

God, help us to humble ourselves in this matter.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.”
Proverbs 21:2 (KJV)

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Proverbs 14:12 (KJV)

“He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”
Proverbs 28:26 (KJV)

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
1 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV)

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23–24 (KJV)