Battling Our Blind Spots
If you asked me what my fatal flaws are, my problem and struggle areas of life, I could tell you. Easily and quickly. I know them well. Why? Because I am aware, have been for years, and constantly pray and work on them. I bet you’re the same way.
There’s a decent chance that if you and I keep these in check, we may not succumb to their fire in our lives. But let me present a different side to this issue.
What about those flaws that we are blinded to? The ones that our wives, kids, friends, and co-workers see regularly that we just don’t . . . see. How do you battle those? Actions, words, and attitudes we have that can be ugly at times and we just flat out miss them? How can you stop something you can’t—or maybe won’t—recognize?
There are personal issues in our lives that our families and others close to us deal with, that often they just endure, or occasionally cause conflict, and we just dismiss or ignore it. The honest and brutal truth is as humans, we all have these blind spot issues.
I don’t know about you, but it is a tough moment when my wife has to talk to me about one of these. It is really hard for her and hard for me. In an honest, growing marriage, this is necessary communication, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hard and doesn’t hurt.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a first line of defense (or maybe offense is a better word) that dealt with me and you in this area, so our wives, kids, pastor, or boss wouldn’t have to?
This is where—yes, once again—our Christian brothers can be such a huge blessing in the hand of God. We give permission, they express both truth and grace, and we can change in a non-volatile environment.
Who has permission to speak these things to you? If something were a blind spot to you, who could tell you that you would receive from?
Let’s keep fighting our battles on our known flaws, but let’s also make sure there are brothers who can battle for and with us to attack the hidden, yet hostile land mines we all have.
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. —Ephesians 4:15 NLT
2 comments
Joseph Gaston March 19, 2013
Thanks Robert for a powerful word about having a place for guys to be able to hear the truth spoken in love! Too few places in world for such a space, especially for guys. Looking forward to having you speaking on April 12 to our men of John Knox Presbyterian in Greenville, SC! Blessings and prayers, Joseph Gaston Associate Pastor JKPC
Robert Noland March 19, 2013
Thanks so much. I'm excited about meeting with the men there. It's going to be good. Robert