The Invisible Tools

“They was right in front of me all the time!” said my husband sheepishly when he came in from his workshop.

Have you ever had one of those moments my friend, where you have been searching for something looking high & low, checking & rechecking the same area only to find what you’ve been looking for has been right in front of you all the time, staring you in the face?

This is what my husband experienced this week.

Although, I think we can all relate to going through a similar experience when we’ve misplaced things like car keys, our mobile phone or eye glasses.

Why this fascinating psychological phenomenon happens is what we’ll be discussing today over our cuppa’s.

Today, I have a blend of Russian Caravan & Lady Grey tea, my creation & a home made Date & Almond Protein ball, delicious!

What are you having my friend?

It’s about assumptions & expectations!

Researchers found that the reason we often can’t find what we’re looking for, even though it’s often right in front of us is that our expectation of that object has become slightly skewed in our memory bank.

Let me explain;

In my husband’s case he had a certain picture in his mind of what that particular thing looked like, he even described it to me in detail.

My normally highly organised man had recently reorganised his workshop thus causing the situation.

When he actually found what he was looking for he realised it wasn’t exactly what he had pictured in his mind after all.

In other words his expectation of what it looked like had become slightly skewed because it wasn’t in it’s normal setting.

It’s the same case when we ‘lose’ something like our car keys or mobile phone, if they’re not found where we would normally expect them to be, our expectation of seeing them in their familiar setting is instantly skewed within our mind.

Confusion & panic ensue.

Then in our search for the item we can miss it even when it’s right in front of us!

As stated in the following article;

“What we pay attention to

is largely determined by our expectations

 of what should be present,”

said Christopher Chabris, a cognitive psychologist and researcher. Ref

Christopher’s research highlighted how incorrect assumptions from our expectations can inhibit our ability to see what’s right in front of us.

So very interesting!

photo of man wearing black jacket standing near table

Information overload

We can also get overwhelmed when looking for what we are searching for in amongst many objects (it becomes a ‘Where’s Wally or Where’s Waldo’ scenario).

This can happen when searching on the internet for a particular subject.

Have you noticed that there is such a plethora of information online that it’s quite mind boggling at times?

But the information is not necessarily what we’re looking for or evven holds the truth of what we’re researching!

This is especially noticeable when researching Bible topics.

There are so many articles, posts & videos that it literally becomes information overload.

When this happens we need to stop, pause & look right in front of us, so to speak.

For often the truth is right in front of us at home in our own Bible!

While it may be enjoyable to hear or read articles, sermons, experiences or commentaries on bible topics.

Our measuring stick for the truth should always be guided by the Holy Spirit through God’s Word, as Jesus Himself advised;

“…when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth].

For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son],

and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future].”

John 16:13 AMP

Speaking of what is to come, hubby & I have noticed that there is an avalanche of End time messages on the internet at the moment, amongst these are many false & misleading concepts.

This is where we really need to have discernment & guidance from the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit.

Echoing Paul’s prayer;

‘And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more

in real knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve the things that are excellent,

in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.’

Phil 1:9

Please be very alert to false & misleading doctrines that are presented as ‘truth’ dear friend.

Let the Holy Spirit & God’s Word be your guide.

Until next time,

Jennifer 

You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook

Or 

In Prayer


© 2023 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved.  Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com 

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8 thoughts on “The Invisible Tools

Add yours

  1. Thank you, Jennifer! There are many false teachers who are not teaching the truth of God’s Word. It has become very prevalent here. May we recognize the false teachers by knowing the truth of scripture.
    Blessings my friend,
    Pam

    Liked by 1 person

  2. This is so interesting, Jennifer, “‘What we pay attention to is largely determined by our expectations of what should be present,’ said Christopher Chabris, a cognitive psychologist and researcher.” Thank you for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I so relate to your husband’s predicament. I once spent a long time looking for my white mixer, forgetting that I’d replaced it with a black one. I probably looked at the black one a dozen times before I finally “saw” it for the first time on my shelf. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  4. I love how we can find wisdom in seemingly everyday things and struggles. I have plenty of experiences where I’m looking for something right before me. Because, yes, we expect something different.

    Liked by 1 person

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