Thursday, May 25, 2006
When you drive in the New York City area, lane switching becomes a well developed art form. Of course, the danger zone in switching lanes is your blind spot. That one area in your rear vision where you can't see in any of your mirrors - that's pretty critical. Actually, the words blind spot have taken on new meaning for my wife and me. She had some vision problems and she developed what the doctor believed to be a temporary blind spot. He injected some dye to see how much of her vision was blocked, and I was surprised as the doctor showed us the results. He said, "Now, here is the blind spot that we all have." I said, "I do?" Right around the optic nerve, there are no rods and cones to produce a visual image, so we all have a blind spot.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to See Through Your Blind Spot."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the great wisdom of the book of Proverbs - Proverbs 15:12. It's practical stuff. "A mocker resents correction. He will not consult the wise." Verse 5 says, "Whoever heeds correction shows prudence." This is mentioned three times in the same chapter, so it must be important. Verse 32 says, "He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding." It's pretty clear what God is saying here. Wise people know how to accept correction and criticism. You need the people around you who confront you; the people around you who challenge you and even criticize you. Why? Because you have a blind spot. We all do.
We all have weaknesses we cannot see. There are hurtful ways that we treat people, hurtful ways we say things, there are ways we act when we're busy or tired, there are ways we abuse the truth, where we step on people's feelings, or where we step across some Biblical boundary. Some of our most entrenched sins are often sins we can't see very well. We're so used to doing things a certain way, that we'll never see some sins without the help of someone else.
God doesn't want our blind spot to remain there. He knows a blind spot can make you crash, so He puts mirrors with two legs into our lives. Do you have some two-legged mirrors in your life? Those are people who love us enough, or maybe even dislike us enough, to tell us the hard truth about ourselves.
If you're married, are you letting your mate be your mirror? Sometimes a parent is your mirror. Your child, even a young child, can be God's un-blinding agent in your life. He may use a friend. Proverbs 27:17 says, "Iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens the countenance of his friend." Maybe he will even use an enemy. There's some measure of truth in their words or they wouldn't have said it. Keep the percentage that is true, and then throw out the rest.
If you're going to be a good mirror for other people by showing them their blind spots, be sure that you show people their strong points, too. Many times, we're blind to what's good about us, as well as what's bad. Make sure you give plenty of praise, as well as constructive criticism that says, "I love you enough to tell you the truth."
Even if our physical vision is perfect, we do all have blind spots. But because God loves you so much, He's not going to leave you blind. When someone shows you what you cannot see yourself, be wise enough to take a good look, and don't throw something at the mirror.