Blind Spots

Every year I attend a Christian music festival in Atlanta on Labor Day weekend, it’s a free event I enjoy going to each year to close out summer. This year was super fun, I was TRIPPEN.

The concerts were amazing and I acted like a child riding back-and-forth on the lift over the fairgrounds, I’m always a thrill seeker. I even had the opportunity to head downtown for dinner at my favorite place to eat in Atlanta. By the time I headed home, it was nearly midnight and thunderstorms were moving in with severe lightning.

The drive home would be a long and scary one, because I am statutorily (legally) blind. Although I have better than 20/20 vision, my peripheral vision is full of blind spots. Israeli American psychologist Daniel Kahneman noted, “We’re blind to our blindness. We have very little idea of how little we know. We’re not designed to know how little we know.” Yes, it’s possible to have vision and still be blind, which is pretty scary. That’s what this special Halloween blog will be about.

BLIND?

On one occasion Jesus’ disciples asked Him why He spoke in parables and Jesus replied that the people see, but don’t see (Matthew 13:13–14). Thus, it’s possible to know the gospel and still be blind. It’s kind of like being a zombie after the lights come on; we just keep following the crowd.

It’s possible to be FIREBLAZING a path to share the gospel Like Saul—to be God’s MESSENGERS or evangelists, from the Greek word euangelion—and still be blind and our lives spiral downwards.

Saul was so zealous for God that he actually thought he was doing God’s will by killing Christians. In his autobiography evangelist and author Sammy Tippit shares, “It was hard for Tex (his wife) to have me gone every evening and most of every night. She tried to tell me in many gentle ways that I was neglecting her and Davey (his son), and when I didn’t pick up on it, she grew irritable. I was blind and self-righteous enough to consider her mood an attack of Satan to which she had fallen prey.”

It’s possible to GLOW IN THE DARK for Christ and get caught in the lights of a fallen world, because of sin. While Jesus hung on the cross to rescue us from ourselves, He prayed for God to forgive the people, because they didn’t know what they were doing—sin blinds and we all have sinned (Romans 3:23). We are all born this way, BROKEN and sinful. The psalmist declared we have sinned before we even start breathing (Psalm 51:5).

Perhaps this is why Jesus warned us about the planks in our eyes (Luke 6:42). At one point in His ministry, some Pharisees questioned Jesus about a blind man’s sin and their own blindness (John 9:39–41). They thought their knowledge could save them, which is another blind spot. Instead of talking about change like some politicians, we need to wake up and BE THE CHANGE.

Hell will be full of people who thought they were smart enough to go to heaven. The Church of Scientology was founded on a body of knowledge about four principles. Man is: immortal, has life after death, unlimited POWER and is good. Billions of lost souls are desperately searching for HOPE in knowledge. Most people believe that knowledge is power, this is the twisted gospel.

HEAD KNOWLEDGE?

Paul explains that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1–2). The greater one thinks they are, the more likely they are to have blind spots. We all need accountability. Some evangelicals handle the gospel like a CHAINSAW that is out of control. They get COCKY and forget that meekness (humility) is THE FRUIT of the spirit.

I saw this firsthand at the Christian festival. After a younger artist decided to speak after her performance, an older artist came out and lovingly corrected her. Likewise, I’ve sinned without even knowing what I was DOIN’. This is why I thank God that JESUS LOVE’S ME, INSPITE OF ME and my blind spots!