There are times when I struggle with social anxiety: worrying about saying the wrong things, reviewing and cringing over my perceived social blunders, and feeling convinced that I’ve left a bad impression on people after an interaction.

Yet, while there is always room for self-improvement, I’ve come to realise that my self-perception is often wrong in two ways: either 1) what I thought were blunders aren’t so bad, or 2) those people didn’t think so badly about me after all.

Social anxiety, along with other mental health issues like depression, happens when we have a distorted view of reality – when we see our environment, people, and even ourselves inaccurately.

Inaccurate vision is dangerous.

Not only physically and emotionally, but also spiritually. As Jesus said:

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

(Matthew 6:22-23)

Inaccurate spiritual vision includes not seeing ourselves the way God sees us.

For example, when we see ourselves as godly, but God sees a hypocrite (Matthew 6:1-2).

When we see ourselves as loving God enough, but God sees no love for Him at all (Matthew 6:24).

When we see ourselves as neglected orphans, but God sees us as His children, precious enough to be cared for in every aspect of our life (Matthew 6:26, 30).

When we see ourselves as unforgivable ‘prodigal sons’, but God sees a broken and contrite spirit worthy of His forgiveness and re-abidance (Luke 15:21-24; Psalm 51:17).

As our Maker, God’s perception of us is the most accurate and reliable.

As David said in Psalm 139:

“My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
[…] You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.”

(Psalm 139:15, 3)

Therefore, instead of examining himself through the lens of his insecurity or ego, David chooses to rely on the all-seeing eyes of God:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!”

(Psalm 139:23-24)

By relying on God’s all-seeing eyes in the form of His words and Holy Spirit, we can appraise ourselves accurately and stay on track as we tread the way to everlasting life.

May God be our vision – all we see, how we see. 👀