This morning, while my husband and I were praying in the living room, a loud bang at the window got our attention. We looked at each other, wondering what it was.
“Do you think it was a bird,” I asked. Tom went out onto the porch, and there lying on the ground was a little chickadee, very still. I went to it and picked it up – he was still warm. Poor little thing. (No, I did not give it mouth-to-beak resuscitation, but I did get a towel and laid it up on the porch, just in case it wasn’t dead.) Sad to say, he’s still lying there.
As I thought about that little bird’s life taken so suddenly, I couldn’t help but think about the brevity of life. There are still plenty of birds at our feeder – all alive and active, but what happened to this little guy? He was deceived. He thought he was flying through empty space, but a plate of unseen glass stopped him short. He did not intend to die today! He didn’t mean to fly into my window – HE JUST DIDN’T SEE IT!
During Sunday school this past week, my husband-pastor had us read this verse: “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.” (Psalm 19:12) He then asked, who knew about our secret faults. In my mind, I thought what several others said: God and me. He smiled that knowing smile and said, “No, only God knows.” Wow! That was an eye-opener for me! We call those secret faults blind spots – the sins in our lives that we do not see. If you are like me, I’m quick to SEE everyone else’s blind spots and proclaim that I am too spiritual to have any!
How often we are like that bird –
we don’t see the very thing that is going to kill us spiritually!
I’m convinced that the term “blind spot” is a bit of a misnomer for the Christian; for God tells us that He will show us the way. “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.” (Psalm 25:4) If we want to know our blind spots, God will reveal them to us. IF WE WANT to know – that’s the defining factor. This isn’t a half-hearted prayer where we don’t really expect to hear from God. In fact, I’m convinced that most times, in the back recesses of our minds where we hide those sins that we don’t want to face, we are able to see our blind spots. What we don’t see are the far-reaching consequences stacking up ready to pour forth if we do not make the necessary changes.
If that little birdie would have just changed his course ever so slightly, he would have missed my window and could be sitting at my bird feeder right now instead of lying dead on my front porch! I see so many lives on the brink of ruin only because that person or persons will not deal with sin! Is it because they cannot change or will not?
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil” (Jer. 13:23) …the answer? NO, but by the grace of God! Praise the Lord! He will give us the grace to choose and to change if we but ask!
Beyond Common Sense 