Blind Spots

I have seen spots that freaked me out before—age spots … well just
one, but it was there and its presence was horrifying. I have seen other spots
too: sore spots, weak spots and soft spots. But none of
these shook me like the spots I saw recently: blind spots.

Blind
spots don’t show up very often. They hide, camouflaged nicely in their
environment. But on this day, the blind spot was there, right out in the open—a
visible sighting. I should probably mention that the blind spot I observed
wasn’t my own—the reason I was able to see it. Blind spots by nature are hard to
detect when they belong to you. They are much more evident to the onlooker. And
that’s what I saw—a blind spot in the life of another, yet clearly observed by
friends and family. The scary part, however, was not that there was a blind spot
at all—we all have them. No, the truly terrifying part was that what was clearly
evident to us was completely invisible to her.

I know spots are sneaky.
One minute they are there—visible, touchable, noticeable—and the next minute
they fade away, leaving you to wonder if you really saw them or felt them at
all. That’s the assignment of spots: Get in and get out as quickly as you
can. But on this day those blind spots were sluggish and stayed
around until it was so blatantly obvious something had to be done. Some friends
and I tried to carefully uncover the blind spot and bring it to our friend’s
attention. You see, once a blind spot is revealed, it becomes declawed and moves
into a new category called “weak spots I am working on.” The goal that day was
simply to help someone see that her blind spot was destroying her life, her
relationships and her successes.

What happened next was frightening. You
have never heard such a clamor. Let’s just say the introduction did not go well.
“Owner this is your blind spot. Blind spot this is your owner.” There was
definitely no love connection here. The introduction was met with intense
rejection, denial and great hostility. It was instantly dismissed as our
problem. We were informed that this was our distortion and insanity. No merit
was given to this blind spot at all. Instead we were written off for even daring
to escort it into her conscience. We were dissed on all fronts—dismissed,
disrespected and disbelieved. Had we not quickly gotten out of
there, we might have been dismembered as well.

Yes, I was scared.
Scared for her and her future of course, but more scared for myself. What are
my blind spots like? I shuddered to think. I left that day determined to
discover my blind spots. I don’t care how ugly they are or how many they have
grown into. I want to see them.

I still feel that way today. I
want to know how I am perceived. I want to know what others see that I am blind
to. I know it will take the eyes of others to reveal my spots. But I want to
know, no matter how vicious they may be. It will take the willingness of a few
brave souls to make the introduction, but I am ready. I can only become better
for it, more refined and less abrasive.

I can’t live with the notion
that I am spot-free, and neither can you. Why not take the challenge and invite
a few faithful friends to be on the lookout for your blind spots? Don’t let fear
or pride stop you from becoming a better person.

The following
Scriptures will help you find blind spots in your life:

Search light of
the Holy Spirit—Psalm 139:23-24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me,
and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting” (NKJV).

Faithful Friends—Proverbs 27:6
“Faithful
are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are
deceitful.”

Humility to hear it.—James 1:19
“Let every man be swift to
hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”

Trust to accept it—Proverbs
2:1-6
“My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you,
so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;
yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding,
if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you
will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the
Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and
understanding.”