--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reality is what we notice on the surface…" description: "\"“Reality is what we notice on the surface – what we feel or see, what superficial perspectives we might gain, for example, from television's evening ne..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/marva-j-dawn-63998_holy-spirit_reality-is-what-we-notice-on-the-surface_18061.jpg" --- # Reality is what we notice on the surface – what we feel or… ![“Reality is what we notice on the surface – what we feel or see, what superficial perspectives we might gain, for example, from television's evening news. Truth is much larger. It encompasses everything that genuinely is going on. The reality might be that our world looks totally messed up, that…” quote by Marva J. Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/marva-j-dawn-63998_holy-spirit_reality-is-what-we-notice-on-the-surface_18061.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/marva-j-dawn-63998_holy-spirit_reality-is-what-we-notice-on-the-surface_18061.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/marva-j-dawn-63998_holy-spirit_reality-is-what-we-notice-on-the-surface_18061.jpg) > ““Reality is what we notice on the surface – what we feel or see, what superficial perspectives we might gain, for example, from television's evening news. Truth is much larger. It encompasses everything that genuinely is going on. The reality might be that our world looks totally messed up, that war and economic chaos seem to control the globe. But the truth is much deeper – that Jesus Christ is still (since His ascension) Lord of the cosmos, and the Holy Spirit is empowering many people to work for peacemaking and justice building as part of the Trinity's purpose to bring the universe to its ultimate wholeness. The reality might be that you do not feel God, but the truth is that God is always present with you, perpetually forgiving you, and unceasingly caring for you with extravagant grace and abundant mercy. Not only that, but the very process of dealing with our lack of feelings and our resultant doubts about God is one of the ways by which our trust in the Trinity is deepened.”” [Marva J. Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marva-j-dawn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Distinguishes between observable, often superficial, reality and a deeper, spiritual truth anchored in Christian theology, asserting that divine presence and purpose persist beyond surface circumstances. **In simple terms:** Reality is surface; truth is deeper and divine. Key Takeaway Truth transcends observable chaos. Themes spirituality theology perception faith hope Mood hopeful reflective Type theological inspirational When to use this quote - watching news - feeling distant from God - experiencing doubt - seeking meaning in suffering Key Concepts Trinity grace justice peacemaking Practical Applications - theological counseling - faith‑based resilience training Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing a deeper truth affect daily decisions? - In what ways can doubt strengthen trust? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Holy spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy-spirit/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [The farther you enter the truth, the deeper it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-zenji/the-farther-you-enter-the-truth-the-deeper-it-is/) Bankei Zenji > [There's a truth deeper than experience. It's beyond what we see, or even what we feel. 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It means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/when-dreams-come-true-in-reality-they-never-feel-the-same-as-when-you/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [“The Truth of God is taught by the Holy Spirit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-truth-of-god-is-taught-by-the-holy-spirit/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Some people feel fulfillment from a bitter end - it gives them some sort of sense of reality. But, when you're dealing with reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/some-people-feel-fulfillment-from-a-bitter-end-it-gives-them-some/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [The reality is that I feel that fear is a very spiritual emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/the-reality-is-that-i-feel-that-fear-is-a-very-spiritual-emotion/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [I cannot pretend to drown myself in nothingness when in reality I feel every single fucking thing in my soul. Sure I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/needa-muy/i-cannot-pretend-to-drown-myself-in-nothingness-when-in-reality-i/) [Needa Muy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/needa-muy/) > [If we have no other reality beyond the illusion, you too must not count overmuch on your reality as you feel it today, since,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-pirandello/if-we-have-no-other-reality-beyond-the-illusion-you-too-must-not/) [Luigi Pirandello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-pirandello/) > [The beauty of the world of Unbreakable is that you're playing it for reality. It should never feel like a comic book movie. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-night-shyamalan/the-beauty-of-the-world-of-unbreakable-is-that-you-re-playing-it-for/) [M. Night Shyamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-night-shyamalan/) > [I feel that everything I dreamed of became reality. I feel like nothing is on my shoulders any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simona-halep/i-feel-that-everything-i-dreamed-of-became-reality-i-feel-like/) [Simona Halep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simona-halep/) > [“I love to read. That doesn't mean a life. It doesn't mean I'm a nerd. I only love that feeling... even when you're back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr-me-s-a/i-love-to-read-that-doesn-t-mean-a-life-it-doesn-t-mean-i-m-a-nerd-i/) Tumblr ME S.A > [You too must not count too much on your reality as you feel it today, since like yesterday, it may prove an illusion for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-pirandello/you-too-must-not-count-too-much-on-your-reality-as-you-feel-it-today/) [Luigi Pirandello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-pirandello/) > [“Do you realize what you accomplished today? You're supposed to be happy right now.” “I am. That's the most fucked-up part,” he said. “I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/do-you-realize-what-you-accomplished-today-you-re-supposed-to-be/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) ## More by Marva J. Dawn > [“One of the greatest gifts for my life as one who serves God is observing the Sabbath. Celebrating a holy day and living in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marva-j-dawn/one-of-the-greatest-gifts-for-my-life-as-one-who-serves-god-is/) [Marva J. Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marva-j-dawn/) > [“...we are to be lights in the world. It is God's business to light us, to set us on the lampstand, and to bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marva-j-dawn/we-are-to-be-lights-in-the-world-it-is-god-s-business-to-light-us-to/) [Marva J. Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marva-j-dawn/) > [“A great benefit of Sabbath keeping is that we learn to let God take care of us — not by becoming passive and lazy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marva-j-dawn/a-great-benefit-of-sabbath-keeping-is-that-we-learn-to-let-god-take/) [Marva J. Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marva-j-dawn/) > [“One of my biggest problems in dealing with the breakdown of my body is that I keep looking in the wrong direction. I look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marva-j-dawn/one-of-my-biggest-problems-in-dealing-with-the-breakdown-of-my-body/) [Marva J. Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marva-j-dawn/) [Explore all 5 Marva J. 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Norris > [Whoever will not love his enemies cannot know the Lord and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silouan-the-athonite/whoever-will-not-love-his-enemies-cannot-know-the-lord-and-the/) [Silouan the Athonite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silouan-the-athonite/) > [“The Spirit inspired the Word and therefore He goes where the Word goes. The more of God's Word you know and love, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-spirit-inspired-the-word-and-therefore-he-goes-where-the-word/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [“The Holy Spirit is the most influential mentor in your life. He is always willing to teach and guide you in all Truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisa-hope-wagner/the-holy-spirit-is-the-most-influential-mentor-in-your-life-he-is/) [Alisa Hope Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alisa-hope-wagner/) > [ “since we have been justified by faith,  b we \[1\] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Through him we have also  c obtained access… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-we-have-been-justified-by-faith-b-we-1-have-peace-with-god/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 1,879 Holy spirit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy-spirit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Reality is what we notice on the surface – what we feel or see, what superficial perspectives we might gain, for example, from television's evening news. Truth is much larger. It encompasses everything that genuinely is going on. 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