Proof or Promise?

Recently my family took some professional portraits and a few days later, I received the proofs. The images were not finalized and had soft watermarks in the background that read PROOF. Although I saw the words, they did not distract my gaze from the beauty behind the letters. The smiling, warm, and lovely images of my mother and children, consumed the picture so much that the watermark seemed visually irrelevant. However, after additional edits, lighting and cropping was done to the photos, the final product that was promised was finally revealed. It was at that moment I realized that the entire experience was teaching me an extremely valuable lesson. It was teaching me that while I was yet looking at the pretty (but flawed) proofs, “the promise” was in fact, still being finalized, and more importantly being prepared specifically and distinctly just the way I wanted it to be (a whole word!).

The same is true in our relationships… There are people and opportunities, that come into our lives as proofs, and we often mistake them for the promise.  We make the mistake of settling instead of being still. We preemptively accept the incomplete, unrefined and the unclear state of the relationship, job, or situation, in our inpatient desperation to have something in our hands. Proofs are valuable, in that they disclose imperfections, distortions and other flaws that should be corrected before the final product is received. Thus, providing wisdom, discernment and clarity that should assist us in defining the promise accurately, and in true accordance with our heart’s desires.

The promise will not come blurred, unfocused, or covered in blemishes. It will be presented possessing your desires, expectations, and the refined beauty you have yearned to see. It will be in your face, deep in your soul, and finely aligned with your spirit… you will know this “is” what you’ve been waiting for…  And if you don’t know if someone or something is the promise, the lack of clarity is probably your answer that it’s not… Proofs don’t provide 100% optical lucidity, because they are stained with warnings that are telling you it’s not the best it can be…therefore, it’s not the promise.

HOWEVER, in our pursuit of the promise, it’s important to also consider and realize that sometimes…the proof is exactly what you want, BUT it requires deep introspection, honesty, and commitment to developing it, to become the promise. So, this looks like someone coming along that has all you really want, but maybe there are a few areas that don’t look or feel good just yet, but despite it all you have peace in your spirit and have made the DECISION to focus intently on cultivating this image, vision to make it what you want it to be. In these rare situations, make sure you have decided in your head, heart and whole being BEFORE you begin the work, that this relationship, job, or situation is WHAT you want, don’t settle just because the proof is soft on ya eyes. Promises are forever, proofs are perceptions that dissipate over time.

Now, I won’t share how many proofs I mistook to be promises in my lifetime, but I have broken my own heart, suffered financially, physically, and emotionally from trying to force a proof to be a promise, that it was never meant to be. If we’re being honest, we can all admit that we have faulty faculties that lead, push, and manipulate us to accepting that which is less than what we want, desire and most importantly need. It hurts… but after you heal and learn from it, your focus will be clearer, and you’ll look forward to your promise with no impediments or uncertainty. So, our homework is to… look at all the proofs (images representative of relationships, opportunities, and situations) and make the hard but loving, mature and purposeful decision to let the proofs be proofs… and focus ONLY on the promise! Shift your energy, investments and affairs to line up with your vision instead of what you see in the here and now. Then position yourself to only seek the promise and in return it will seek you too.