How to See Your Blind Spots

Can you identify your blind spots? We all have them, and they can be SO hard to see.

Prefer to watch/listen? Here’s the podcast version of this post.

Our blind spots can take different forms. Blind spots may be spiritual and block our relationship with God. They may be relational and block our relationships with others. They could also be physical and block health and wellness. These spots can be hard to see, but they wreak a lot of havoc.

Yet you can have hope: Whatever type of blind spot you have, God will help you remove it.

I discovered a relational blind spot in my own life this week. I’m training to be a Stephen Minister in my church, and yesterday I was reading the material for the week. One of the sentences jumped off the page and seemed to shout truth to me. Let’s just say that I’ve been trying to “fix” a relationship rather than patiently waiting for God to work in this person’s heart and mind.

Through that single sentence, God opened my eyes to a big blind spot. He gently reminded me to “be still and know” that he is God over this situation (Psalm 46:10). I need to surrender to him daily and trust him with the outcome instead of attempting to manufacture it myself.

An Example of a Blind Spot

The Bible gives us several examples of people with blind spots. The example I want to show you today is the apostle Paul. When he was still called Saul, he was a terrorist who targeted early Christ-followers. His blind spot was religious zeal, taken to the extreme. This blind spot was a giant barrier to the life God wanted him to live.

While Saul was walking on the road to Damascus with his cohorts to arrest more followers of Jesus. Saul had been walking in spiritual blindness for a long time, but on the Damascus road, God struck him with literal blindness after an encounter with Jesus himself. You can read the full account in Acts 9 HERE.

Saul’s literal blindness lasted for three days. Then God sent Ananias to Saul. Ananias prayed over Saul, telling him that God wanted to fill him with the Holy Spirit. At that moment…

Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. 
Acts 9:18 NLT

Soon after Saul’s healing from spiritual blindness, he stepped into the calling God had prepared for him. We still benefit from Saul’s transformation into the apostle Paul. His letters make up the majority of the New Testament, and they have blessed millions upon millions of Christians in the past 2000 years. Since God removed his blind spot, we have all reaped great benefits in our spiritual lives!

Lessons About Blind Spots

We can learn several lessons about our own blind spots from this reading. Let’s break them down.

1. Saul’s spiritual blindness was fueled by sincerity. He truly believed he was doing the right thing for God’s kingdom by weeding out followers of the Way. Often, our blind spots are also connected to misguided intentions. Examples include a nagging wife or a hovering parent who needs to let go. Our actions may actually be doing more harm than good.

2. Saul needed God’s help to see his blind spot. Only God has the power to remove a blind spot from someone’s life. When we see our own blind spots, we must also rely on God’s help to overcome them, because in our own strength we will fail. When we see blind spots in others, we have to trust God to remove them instead of trying to fix the person with the problem.

3. Saul needed another person to help him recover. Ananias approached Saul only because God directed him to do so. He said exactly what needed to be said so that Saul would gain the insight to move forward. Ananias affirmed the calling God had created for Saul in a loving, caring way that required much faith and tact. We often need others to help us see our blind spots. You can read a powerful account of how Nathan served David like this in 2 Samuel 12.

How to Handle Your Own Blind Spots

How can you discover your own blind spots and live the life God intends for you? Here are several tips:

1. Pray that God will show you your blind spots. You can turn these scriptures into daily prayers to invite God into conversation with you on spiritual and personal growth. Psalm 26:2, Psalm 139:23, 2 Corinthians 13:5. Humbly accept God’s correction when he shows you your blind spots.

2. Pray that God will completely remove your blind spots with his great power and his loving kindness. Ask him to give you the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:15-16) as you depend on him to help you overcome. Open your heart and mind to Christian books, podcasts, sermons and songs that the Holy Spirit may use to reveal further areas of blindness.

3. Ask trusted family members or friends to point out your blind spots. Promise that if they are honest with you, you will not get defensive or angry, but you will work on that area with God’s help. Meditate on this proverb for help. Consider asking that person to hold you accountable on a weekly or monthly basis as you work to eliminate the blind spot.

4. Celebrate small progresses and praise God for conforming you to the likeness of his Son. If you take a step backward, don’t beat yourself up. Simply get up again and walk in the light instead of the darkness (John 8:12), now that you are aware of the problem. Remember that when you cooperate with God in removing that blind spot, you will have fewer roadblocks in your faith journey, and many others will benefit!

Prayer

Here’s a prayer to encourage you:

Heavenly Father,
In you there is no darkness; there is only light.
I confess to you that certain areas of my life are hidden in darkness.
I am blind to the ways that these areas are hurting my relationship with you, myself and others.
Remove the scales from my heart, mind and eyes, Lord.
I don’t want to walk in darkness any longer.
Use whatever it takes to completely eliminate blind spots from my faith journey.
Thank you that I can become more like your Son every day through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

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