The Things We Cannot See

Learning to See

When we are first learning to drive, we are taught to check our blindspots. Before changing lanes, before turning, before backing out, we first check what we cannot see. There is even an entire section at auto parts stores dedicated to blindspot mirrors, devices designed to help us see what we could not see otherwise. We have even gone as far as building cars with blindspot monitors to help make sure we know what we cannot see.

Unfortunately, life does not offer such devices.

Spiritual Blind Spots

Spiritual blindspots are not so easy to recognize. There is no mirror that points to what we cannot see in ourselves. No warning light tells us that something just outside our vision may be affecting the direction we’re taking.

Blindspots are difficult to recognize on our own. Sometimes they even appear to be our own thinking or our own way of doing things. They speak in a voice we recognize. They sound reasonable. They sound familiar. That is what makes blindspots so dangerous.

Our Voice

Sometimes what we call “our” voice is simply a blindspot that has developed unnoticed, just outside our vision. Sometimes it is an assumption we have carried for so long that we no longer recognize it as an assumption. Sometimes it is our own certainty convincing us that we already know the way.

Whatever the cause, blindspots can cause our lives, and the lives of those around us, to become derailed.

Without checking for blindspots, we will continue on our current path. Sometimes we merge seamlessly and seemingly nothing happens. Sometimes there is a crash and everything falls apart. Sometimes it is just a close call and we are able to correct without any damage. Sometimes we continue down a path we were never meant to travel, never noticing that we have left the path we were meant to be on.

The True Danger of Spiritual Blind Spots

That is the true danger of spiritual blindspots.

It is not simply something we don’t know.

It is something we are sure of.

We “know” where we are going. We “know” what we are doing. We “know” the correct path, the right turn, the answer. We don’t set out to make the wrong decision. In fact, we are often making what we believe is the “right” decision. Choosing the “best” option for our lives.

Blindspots are dangerous not because we choose to step off the path, but because we believe we are on the right path the whole time.

And sometimes the first step toward seeing what we cannot see is simply being willing to ask:

What if I’m missing something?

Continue the Journey

This is the trailhead for Episode 6 : The Quiet Need to Be Right

The Trail Question is:

Where are my blind spots?

When you are ready come walk for a while:

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First…

Listen to the podcast:

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Then…

Ask God to reveal teh things you may be unable or unwilling to see.