Three Ways to Tackle Your Blindspots

You’re probably not aware of this – but you have blindspots in your life.

Have you ever driven on the interstate with a young driver who is changing lanes?  What you may do intuitively before making the lane change (checking your mirrors and especially your blindspots) is not intuitive for the young driver. Accordingly, it can result in some dangerous driving.

The blindspots that exist on the road also exist in your life. And yet, many of us do nothing about them. We forget they’re there – but they are – and they can be very derailing.

A blindspot is a characteristic of ourselves, our behaviors, beliefs, or knowledge that we are unaware of or have difficulty recognizing. It represents an area where we lack insight and understanding, or where we may hold biases, assumptions, or limiting perspectives without realizing it.

These blind spots can hinder our decision-making, relationships, personal growth, and effectiveness in various areas of life. They can be seen in our worldview, our theological systems, church-based assumptions, and many more.

You have blindspots. Some of you deny that you do, and guess what…that’s your blindspot! What do you do about them?  Here’s a few ideas:

Get Out of the Echo Chamber

When we surround ourselves with people or sources that only reinforce our existing beliefs and opinions, we limit our exposure to diverse perspectives. This can create significant blind spots and hinder personal growth. We protect our narratives by only engaging with people who hold to our narratives. When people suggest other perspectives, we secretly ‘cancel’ that person, earmarking them as a denier or ignorant (simply because they don’t think exactly the way you do).

The Bible encourages believers to consider and respect different points of view, seek wisdom, and be open to understanding others. Sometimes we’re afraid to hear other perspectives. Here are a few verses that emphasize this:

Proverbs 18:13: “To answer before listening—that is folly and shame.”

Proverbs 19:20: “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.”

James 1:19: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

Proverbs 15:22: “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Proverbs 11:14: “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.”

This does not mean you have to listen to every voice to not live in your own personal echo chamber. But it does mean exposure to other voices, other perspectives, and different angles to understand them. For some persuasions or doctrines you hold to, understanding other views may not be for the purpose of changing your beliefs, but at the very least understanding other views can sharpen your viewpoint.

Pursue Self-Assessment

Failing to regularly reflect on our actions, beliefs, and behaviors can obstruct personal growth and perpetuate blind spots. I don’t think many of us ever consider the importance of self-assessment because if we were being brutally honest we generally like how we think and live! (“If I ain’t broke – why would I spend time fixin?”).

The words “self-assessment,” may not be found in the Bible, but the Scriptures speak of the importance of self-reflection in different contexts:

2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”

Lamentations 3:40: “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”

In these two verses, self-assessment, in the context of faith and spiritual growth, is viewed as crucial for maintaining a close relationship with God and pursuing His will.

But I also think of passages like Revelation 2:1-7, where Christ is telling the Ephesian church to “remember from where you have fallen” which allows for “repentance”.  God seems to think personal evaluation and assessment can be very healthy for the soul.

The Bible gives us lots of blueprints for adjusting our thinking and behavior. One such passage is Galatians 5:19-22.  Here we see 2 lists: the first list we are to become less like, and the second list we are to become more like:

List One: Become Less…

List Two: Become More…

Becoming Less Like List One: Instead of automatically saying “I’m not any of those”, it may be better to say “In which of these do I struggle with the most?”, and then ask a few of your closest friends. And when your nice friends say “Oh, you don’t struggle with any of those!” politely say “Ok, which of these do you think I struggle with the most?”

Becoming More Like List Two: In these areas that demonstrate submission to the Spirit, where do you need to grow the most?  Where are you the weakest?

If you’re being honest and humble, you will see areas based on these two lists where you need work.  But then what? This leads me to my third action suggestion for avoiding blindspots:

Acknowledge Your Blindspots and Take Action

Merely recognizing your blindspots without actively striving to address them allows them to perpetually persist, preventing meaningful personal and spiritual development. How do I begin to take action?

• Stay Humble. Don’t skim past or downplay this. This is really important. Acknowledging weaknesses can move all of us into protection mode. Humility prevents this protection mode from happening.  How? Protecting yourself is a sign of self-righteousness. But for the believer, the righteousness of Christ that has been imputed to us leads us into greater and greater humility. We have the freedom to be honest and explore areas that need help because we are unconditionally accepted by our Father in Heaven.  That’s awesome.

• Develop a plan. Consult someone you trust or is a little more mature than you about what they would do if they had your blindspot (at some point they likely did or do). Don’t stay where you are. Set a date on the calendar to begin to address your newly discovered blindspot. Ask someone to give you their perspective on how you can grow/advance.

• Get some accountability.  Someone consistent in your life needs access to you so they can speak truth into your life. Don’t kick against it, don’t resist it.  Embrace their words with a warm hug:

“Wounds from a sincere friend
    are better than many kisses from an enemy.” Prov. 27:6

Don’t have the mentality: “They told me something I don’t like – I’m done with them.” That’s grade school immaturity.

Ready to tackle these blindspots?

• Get Out of the Echo Chamber
• Pursue Self-Assessment
• Acknowledge and Take Action