Blind Spots

Posted on by Jennifer Arimborgo

Mole

“Why would you focus on the flaw in someone else’s life and yet fail to notice the glaring flaws of your own? How could you say to your friend, ‘Let me show you where you’re wrong,’ when you’re guilty of even more? You’re being hypercritical and a hypocrite! First acknowledge your own ‘blind spots’ and deal with them, and then you’ll be capable of dealing with the ‘blind spot’ of your friend” (Matt. 7:3-5, tPt).

Blind spots. We all have them. However, by their very nature, they are imperceptible. Therefore, we often forget that we do indeed have weaknesses we cannot see. How easy it is to see the blind spots of others! How glaringly obvious they seem to us, when our own are nearly undetectable!

I read a funny story that illustrates this principle in a delightful way. I know you’ll enjoy it too:

“One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast upon her brunette head. She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, ‘Mom, why are some of your hairs white?’

‘Well’, her mother replied, ‘every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.’

The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, ‘Momma, how come all of Grandma’s hairs are white?’”*

This lighthearted anecdote is a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down, so to speak. Daddy God wants us to remember, when others’ shortcomings seem obnoxiously noticeable, that He has pardoned us from hell itself. Before opening our mouths to correct those around us for their mistakes, let’s let Him do His work deep in our core.

Every day, He has growth steps for us to walk through. If we listen in, He will lovingly lead us through each one. Little by little, His radical transformation of our lives will cultivate in us genuine humility. This will create a legitimate place from which we will be able to help others with their own struggles. As we submit ourselves to His continual pruning and purifying, from a clean heart we will be able to gently assist those around us in their development.

Where to start? If you are having trouble identifying the areas in your life needing His intervention, here is a wonderful prayer to pray: “Who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults” (Ps. 19:12, NIV). And then you can add, “Search me, O 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” (Ps. 139:23-24, NIV).

Father, You are the One who makes the blind to see! Please show me my blind spots. Open my eyes to what I cannot perceive, and empower me to walk in Your paths of compassion and kindness!

*Worthy Brief – February 6, 2018, http://www.worthynetwork.com

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Has Holy Spirit empowered you to grow in compassionate towards other people’s weaknesses and struggles? If so, do you have any insights to add on this subject, from your journey?

24 thoughts on “Blind Spots”

  1. I am starting to see that the Holy Spirit works in such personal and unique ways with each of us to chisel, shape and fashion us into His image, depending on our strengths, weaknesses, past experiences etc. No one journey looks the same and I think that’s where we can get caught in judging others AND ourselves in condemnation (I know I do/have): because we expect God to work
    differently. But then when things unfold in another way than we have expected, it only shakes us awake 😊, stripping our judgment, as God reminds us to come to know more of Him and His Body.

    I have struggled with how messy my sanctification has been in comparison to what I see in others. But praise God for open and honest Grandmas of faith. If it weren’t for these Grandmas (around the world), especially a Finnish (former) missionary who was also an MK), who readily boast in their weakness and confess their (past and present) sins so freely with me, I would get stuck in discouragement. But they strip away that shame and free me to come into the light of God’s love and grace for me.

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  3. I am really struggling today to pray FOR a member of our HOA board who is trying every underhanded trick he can find, including utilizing the HOA’s lawyer, to keep me off the board. I had communicated my willingness to serve and offered to help any board member in any way, but the president seems to want to prevent me from helping (??). As I have prayed about this, it is apparent that it is a spiritual battle, that he has been blinded by the “prince of the power of the air” and probably does not even realize what he is doing. But it is hard to pray for an enemy, as I have often advised others to do.
    So pray for me, that Jesus will infuse His love for this man into my heart.
    ❤️& 🙏, c.a.

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  5. A much needed reminder for us. God does gently point out our faults and sometimes we do not stop or be quiet enough to heed those signs and nudges. Praying definitely helps us be more aware and also extend grace and compassion towards others.

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    1. Amen. Thank You Father for so patiently and persistently nudging us, as many times as we need until we realize the message You want to get through to us! And help us listen better and better.

      Thank you, dear sister, for your thoughtful comment 🙂

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  7. Jennifer, I appreciate that you advocate lovingly correcting others, but only as we allow the Holy Spirit to do His correcting work in us. Your phrases “legitimate place,” (our own) “continual pruning and purifying,” and “gently assist” make this very clear. May our Lord bless you, sis!

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    1. My brother, your encouraging comment brings a joyful smile to my heart today. Thank you so very much for sharing words of life! (My replies are extra slow currently because I am on a long ministry trip until the end of the year, but I always eagerly look forward to the opportunity to get on here and talk to my WordPress friends!)

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    1. Thank you so much, Robin! (My replies are extra slow currently because I am on a long ministry trip until the end of the year, but I always eagerly look forward to the opportunity to get on here and talk to my WordPress friends!)

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      1. No worries, I definitly admire what you’re doing because not everyone is cut out for that missionary work. Many, many blessings to you.

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    1. Aw, Rev. Jeanie, you just made my heart smile joyfully. I am so glad to know that it blessed you. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that. The Father’s richest blessings of grace and peace to you today! (My replies are extra slow currently because I am on a long ministry trip until the end of the year, but I always eagerly look forward to the opportunity to get on here and talk to my WordPress friends!)

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