The world of color perception science is undergoing a paradigm shift. According to a press release from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a one hundred-year-old math error related to our understanding of human color perception was recently corrected. Roxana Bujack, one of the researchers at the laboratory and lead author of the team’s paper, shared, “Our research shows that the current mathematical model of how the eye perceives color differences is incorrect.”

In a culture that thrives on visuals, this is a big deal. The discovery could make changes that lead to improved screens and better data graphics. Even paints and textiles could be affected.  

The current (and now disputed) model of three-dimensional color perception uses geometric principles known as Riemannian geometry to estimate perceived color changes on such shapes. In other words, 3-D shapes look more realistic on your 2-D screen.

Still confusing?

It’s okay. I don’t quite get it either, but here is what stands out to me: our perceptions are not always accurate. These researchers would even say that our perceptions of our perceptions are not always accurate.

Seeing a screen clearly is nice, but seeing life clearly is far better. You could say that life’s mistakes come from decisions we make based on a distorted sense of reality. We give into a sinful habit because we think it will satisfy us, but it doesn’t. We become absorbed in those screens, forgetting what is more important. We neglect the things that matter most, foolishly elevating something of far lesser significance. Fortunately, God has provided us with some calibration tools – think of those old TV color adjustment knobs – in His Word.

Paul writes to the Ephesian believers his prayer that God would reveal the truth of their reality to them, “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:18-20 ESV).

This reality adjustment changes how we live! If you tend to have a defeatist, pessimistic outlook, you can recalibrate to being a person of hope. When you are tempted to invest in the comfort and wealth of this life, consider that a glorious inheritance awaits those who live for Christ. As you serve the Lord, you need not do so in your own strength, for His resurrection-level power is at work through you!

How will this recalibration – this new perception of reality – adjust the way you live?

What about ministry?

We serve the Lord with a perception of reality that may also not be accurate. In churches, we tend to follow paradigms that we have always followed. We are more likely to keep doing what we have always done rather than consider our approach to ministry.

Do you serve as one who knows the hope to which God calls you? That kind of hope is infectious, and you’ll find others adopting hope-filled attitudes. Be a person of hope.

Does your giving reflect the knowledge of a glorious inheritance that awaits you? Your generosity with your possessions and your time flows from the realization that what you do in this life should be oriented to the blessing God bestows in the next.

Are your ministry energies characterized by the knowledge that God’s limitless power works through you? If not, you may find yourself continually depleting your batteries because you serve in your own strength. Change your expectations about what will come from your efforts. God loves to work through people who are willing conduits for Him.

Challenge and recalibrate your perception in life and in ministry.