I didn’t realize I was prone to be a whistler.  I didn’t realize that without thinking, I just whistled whatever tune was in my head at the time.  Sometimes, it was an incredible, original score by me.  Other times, it was the song I’d just listened to on the radio.  It wasn’t like I was a whistler looking for a stage and lights, but the whistles just rolled out of me sometimes as I walked about the home, especially in the morning.

I didn’t realize these facts until one of my children pointed it out to me one morning, when they were just starting to wake up.

The whistling was a blind spot to me.  I knew I whistled some, but I didn’t realize I whistled that much.  I didn’t realize I was producing whistled tunes to the degree of producing annoyance in a family member.

My initial reaction when called out for my whistling ways was one of defensiveness.  “I don’t whistle that much.  What are you talking about?  You’re just not a morning person.”

But like a person who is pursing humility in Christ, I chose not to whistle that morning.  Although a part of me, just wanted to whistle more, after being called out.  Pray for me…the Lord is still sanctifying me.

And then it happened later that week.  Maybe even the next day.  I became amazingly aware of how much I was prone to whistle.  I thought to myself, no wonder my child called me out on this.  I am annoying.

I had no idea the extent of my whistling until someone else pointed it out to me.  It was a blind spot to me.

We all have blind spots.  And for this blog post, I’m more concerned with the sinful patterns we are blind to, and less concerned about the silly, quirky examples such as whistling.

I would call a blind spot something that we are believing or doing that either is presently hurting our lives or has the future potential to cause destruction in our lives and the lives of those around us.

And again, we all have them.  I have them, and yes, you do as well.  The very nature of a blind spot is that you’re blind to it.  You’re unaware of it and oblivious to its present or potential reality in your life.

So what are some of the potential blind spots in our lives?  I think Colossians 3:5-9 gives some potential examples to us.  It says…

Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient, and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices

I personally know people who until they were confronted by someone who loved them, they were blind and unaware to their own sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, anger, bitterness, slander, pride, and lying.

So if we know that we are unaware of blind spots and yet aware that they have the potential to cause a wreck if they go unnoticed, what do we do?

Prayer

We pray Psalm 139:23-24 which says, ²³ Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.  We trust our all-knowing and ever-present God to expose sin in us, so that we might turn to Him in repentance and receive His grace.

Community

We intentionally surround ourselves with Godly brothers and sisters who love us enough to confront us (Galatians 6:1).  And we not only surround ourselves with such people, but we consistently ask for them to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) to us.  And when they speak the truth in love to us, it might hurt, but as Proverbs 27:6 tells us, the wounds of a friend are trustworthy.  In the end, it is probably just our pride being hurt anyways, so that is not worth protecting.

Follow

So then as the Lord reveals things to us, and as the Godly community and faith family speaks the truth in love to us, we must then repent and seek to change by the grace of God and the power of the Spirit.  Proverbs 10:17 says, The one who follows instruction is on the path to life, but the one who rejects correction goes astray.

Let’s be people who seek the Lord in prayer, who walk in the light alongside one another, and who welcome and follow the truth on the narrow road that leads to life.