You have a blind spot dear reader. I know, I know, you don't want to read this, believe this, trust it is true. That was my reaction when I read the facts of the matter in a book about lies and truth entitled Vital Lies, Simple Truths --- The Psychology of Self-Deception by Daniel Goleman.
Happy little mind
Perhaps you and I learned the same thing when we were being taught to drive, that objects, namely cars, can be hidden from our view in a blind spot where a part of our own vehicle blocks our vision. In my happy little mind I preferred there being this type of blind spot, rather than an actual physiological one that also hints to a psychological blindness too, that impacts my thinking, my judgment, my very being.
Monkey in the middle
Shattered. My delusion has been hit by a truth hammer. Now I must face the reality yet again, that I am inclined to self-deception: this knowledge is revealed to me by God's majestic design. God's wonderful works can be observed when we attune to Him. As I type I have Daniel Goleman's book to the right of me, and God's Word to the left, and I am the monkey in the middle. Of course God has tremendous humour: in one glance my eyes settle on this heading in the book of Acts: A Vital Church Grows. God's church, His people, can only be vitally alive and growing by making disciples of men, if we are willing to see our own self-deceiving blind spots and the vital lies we maintain, and desire truth telling exponentially more.
Testing blind spots
So the blind spot, it is a real thing and there is a way to test it. This morning in quick order I alternated between appreciating the explanation, followed by resenting the testing of my own physiological blind spot: in the testing it was proven that indeed, I have one. This left me with a huge life metaphor. I was blind, but now I see... my blind spot?
Here is how it works. I quote directly from the book
and encourage you to take the test too.
In physiology, the blind spot is the gap in our field of vision that results from the architecture of the eye.
At the back of each eyeball is a point where the optic nerve, which runs to the brain, attaches to the retina. This point lacks the cells that line the rest of the retina to register the light that comes through the lens of the eye. As a result, at this one point in vision there is a gap in the information transmitted to the brain. The blind spot registers nothing.
Ordinarily what is missed by the one eye is compensated for by overlapping vision in the other. Thus ordinarily we do not notice our blind spots. But when one eye is closed, the blind spot emerges. To see your blind spot, close your left eye and hold this book at arm's length with your right hand while focusing on the cross. Very slowly, move the book toward you and back again. Somewhere between ten and fifteen inches away the circle will seem to disappear.
𝗫 ⚫️
This works even here dear reader. Did you test your own blind spot? In other words, does the spot in your eye disappear as you move the screen toward you, and away again?
It is of interest to me that the author referred to an x as a cross: it can also be referred to as an alphabetic x. I only realized this as I quoted the test instructions from his book. When we keep our eyes on the cross of Christ the spots in our eyes disappear dear one. If we follow the directions using opposites by closing the right eye, and keeping the open left trained on the ⚫️, the cross disappears. I can't help but think that God the Father truly enjoys adult kids, and young ones too, discovering the fun He has in store for us, each time we learn how truly wonderfully made we are.
Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one goes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed him,
If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed.
And you shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free (John 8:31-32)
Self-deception
God made us. He gave us blind spots to discover, giving us the opportunity to see them, and when we cannot, He covered that too, with compensated, overlapping vision. In other words, He gives us lots of opportunities to see Him, with both eyes wide open, right closed, left closed, close up or far away. We get to choose blind spots in the form of self-deception but at what cost, and to whom?
I find it outrageously helpful to know that God matches our physiology to His pure and magnificence intellect. I feel inadequate calling God brilliant with words that cannot touch His awesomeness, but one day, I will be speechless before Him, soaking in all that I can see, hear, feel, taste, and adoringly savour with my finger tips.
Today I see the crosses and dots, the x's in my line of vision. They appear and disappear depending on how honest I want to be with myself, before God. It frightens me ever so slightly when I consider my self-deception, because I know that lies keep me from Truth, so long as I rely on them to lead me in my own blindness.
I want the LORD Jesus Christ in my blind spot, and apparently, He already is. He set us up with the capability to seek, find, ask, and receive, all in good time. Now I ask you dear one:
✞ Do you want the cross of Christ in your sites?
✞ Have you trained your right eye to stay on Him?
✞ What dots and spots impair your vision?
Self-deception is dangerous and puts us in peril. There is an antidote called Truth. All we need do, is willingly see with the eyes of discernment, yet another astounding gift from God Almighty.
What pray tell, is in your blind spot?
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