I recall witnessing a car wreck solely due to a blind spot. As one car was pulling out of a parking lot, the car kind enough to let them out were inadvertently blocking the view of oncoming traffic. As a result, when the car pulled out, it was blindsided by a car in the other lane. Thankfully, no one was hurt. However, the point is taken, blind spots are dangerous – and unfortunately, we can experience them both physically and spiritually. As Christians, spiritual blinders keep us from seeing the bigger picture by limiting our perspective to what’s in front of us and away from the broader perspectives of God. Some of the blind-spots we typically get blindsided by include our problems, positions and pride:

Problems: We all have problems. It’s a part of life. How we choose to handle and see them however is greatly determined by our perspective. We may be tempted to focus solely on our difficulties, or if we choose, we can broaden our sights to begin seeing our obstacles as opportunities serving to both grow our faith and glorify God (1 Peter 1:7).

Positions: When we limit our ambitions and measurements of success in regards to our position(s) in society, whether socially, economically and/or professionally, we greatly reduce our opportunities to be used by God. For example, Peter experienced his greatest success in business the day he obeyed Jesus to cast his net on the other side. However, despite all this success, Peter was still willing to put it all aside to follow Jesus for something bigger than the world could offer. Likewise, if we get caught up in who likes us, how much we make and our position in society, will we be as willing and open to follow Christ wherever He desires to lead us (Luke 5:11)?

Pride: Pride is a danger we all face and has been the downfall of many. For we are all prone to consider ourselves first and see the flaws of others before our own. As a result, we grow blind to our vulnerabilities and increase our exposure to blindside attacks. Over time, I have humbly learned to never say never. For I know God has granted me the freedom to do as I please, but I must possess the wisdom to use such a gift responsibly – which can only come from God. Therefore, may we passionately pursue Christ in all we do and never be so prideful to assume we are beyond stumbling (Proverbs 16:18).

Application: “Seeing Beyond Sight” – Psalm 119:18
When we stop seeing our situations and circumstances as the world dictates and accept the sight only Christ can provide, problems transform into opportunities to encourage others, positions transform into platforms to help others, and pride gets transformed by humility for the benefit of others – all of which empowers us to reflect more of Christ, and less of the world, which propels the attraction of Christ to others.