BLIND SPOTS
What is a blind spot? One definition of a blind spot is an area where a person’s view is obstructed. Another definition is an area in which a person lacks understanding or impartiality. The truth is…we all have blind spots. We do things that we are unaware of until someone else points them out to us.
Just this week, my husband pointed out how I was slamming the cabinets and the drawers again in the bathroom while I was getting ready. I don’t even realize that I do this because I’m in my own little world usually praying or singing. It doesn’t even phase me but can be really annoying and disturbing to other people. For Christmas, I may need to invest in the soft close cabinet hinges. 😉
All of us do things that we aren’t even aware that we do. My husband makes a clicking sound with his mouth that he’s not aware of. My kids say that I crunch extra loud when I eat celery or carrots. I still don’t know how you can eat carrots and celery quietly so if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. ;) My son sniffles all the time and drives my other son crazy and my daughter likes to talk excessively and interrupt others.
None of us are perfect nor will we ever be perfect! We all struggle and we all do things that we aren’t even aware that we do. Most of us are even blind to the sin in our lives. We don’t realize when we are being prideful, greedy, selfish, stubborn, or disobedient. That’s why it is so important to be in the Word of God each day and to ask the Lord to point out anything that is offensive to Him. Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Proverbs 16:2 says, “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits (the thoughts and intents of the heart).” Most of us do not see our own faults and we see ourselves a lot differently than others see us. We all have blind spots or gaps in our perception that keep us from seeing the TRUTH about others and ourselves. It’s wise to have two or three trusted friends that we can ask to be honest with us and point out anything that they see in us that we might not see in ourselves – the good and the bad. Just be sure to always take their answers to the Lord and pray about them – asking God to help you with your weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Proverbs 27:5-6 says, “Better is open rebuke (of loving correction) than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend (who corrects out of love and concern), but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful (because they serve his hidden agenda).” It is much better to receive truth from a trusted friend than empty lies from the enemy. A friend who has your best interests at heart may have to give you unpleasant advice at times, but you know it is for your own good. An enemy, by contrast, may whisper sweet words and happily send you on your way to ruin. We tend to hear what we want to hear, even if an enemy is the only one who will say it. A friend’s advice, no matter how painful, is much more valuable.
Who do you have in your life that can speak the honest truth to you? Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no wise guidance is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” There is safety in a multitude of counselors. I have at least 5 people in my life that speak truth into me and give me wise counsel when I need it. I want to encourage you to pray and ask the Lord for godly people that can provide sound counsel in your life. Never put them ahead of God and always take their words to the Lord. But, understand that having people speak the truth in your life can help you go further and faster than you could ever go on your own. They can point out the things or sins in your life that you cannot see and pray with you to help you overcome. James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Every great athlete has a coach. Every great successful person has a mentor. Don’t float through this life on your own. Humble yourself and realize that you need other believers in your life to speak truth into you to help you become all that God has created you to be. Be teachable and open to God’s correction. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Too many people live needlessly in defeat, immobilized by their own mistakes or the mistakes of others. They stumble around in life with blind spots blocking the work God wants to do in them. It doesn’t have to be this way. Don’t allow the blind spots to hold you back anymore. Seek the truth and allow it to set you free! John 8:32 says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
God Bless,
Amber Cunningham
