Have you ever looked directly into the sun? Knowing it was a bad idea perhaps you looked away quickly only to see spots before your eyes from where the brightness temporarily blinded you. Trying to get your bearings, you blinked several times, shook your head and tried to refocus so you could see clearly again. It probably only took a minute, but in that time, if you had stopped to think about it, it wasn’t any fun to be blind. Not being able to see – even temporarily – is a challenge to say the least. The people who have to deal with it everyday may learn to cope with it – because they have to – but I’m sure they wouldn’t wish it on anyone. In our everyday lives, we often have blind spots (areas in our lives that we are blind to). Perhaps we have had others try to tell us about issues that we need to deal with so we can overcome them and live a more balanced life. Perhaps others have even repeatedly pointed out things in our lives that really and truly needed to be worked on so everyone involved would get along better and be more productive. Or perhaps no one has said anything because they are afraid – afraid the other person would only take it the wrong way and lash out at them in anger (thinking the person speaking was only trying to control them when, in reality, they really did have only the best of intentions to help). So, the question today is, do you have blind spots in your life? (Or do you know someone who does?) If so, what is something that can be done to help the person involved “see the light”? Consider these verses found in Ephesians 4:15,16 (NIV), “ … speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” So, did you catch that? Love … that is the answer. Speaking the truth in love to someone who has a blind spot will help them to grow and mature. It is beneficial to everyone involved. As each person does their part – one person humbly and lovingly talking, encouraging, and being honest with the person who has a blind spot (in a sincere effort to “build up” the other person so they can grow and mature and have a better, more positive life) – and the other person humbly and lovingly receiving the first person’s words of wisdom (being open to change and open to instruction) … when that happens, it’s a win-win for all involved – everyone grows and matures in the process. So, today, remember the timeless truth of speaking in love … there’s nothing like it to shine light on the blind spots of someone’s life!
Do you like to play cards? Do you like the excitement of being dealt a good hand … a hand you just know you can win with? Do you feel the frustration when it seems there’s nothing in your hand you could possibly use … nothing worth anything? If so, you can relate. In life, sometimes it seems like we’ve been dealt a good hand … everything seems to be going well … everything seems to be going according to plan … everything seems like it has value … like it’s something we can use to navigate the waters as we sail across the ocean of life until we get to the other side. Other times, however, it may seem like we’ve been dealt a bad hand … a hand where nothing seems to have any value … any purpose … where there’s nothing helpful about whatever hardship it is we’re going through … where we really wish things were easier … where we really hope and pray God would deal us new cards to replace the current cards we already have in our hand. In that scenario, if someone were to ask us “deal or no deal” we’d most likely be tempted to say “no deal” (I don’t want to play this game … I don’t want to deal with these issues … I don’t want to work things through … I just want it to be easier … I just want to have a better hand so it doesn’t have to be so hard). Is that the case? Is that how you feel? Do you just wish everything were better? Well, unfortunately, we can’t always have everything we think is best. However, the good news is that God is still in control … and He always desires His best for us. He always knows, wants, and does what is best … according to His version of what truly is best (not our version). And since God is God (the Creator of all things) He definitely knows better than we do (after all, He is the Source of all wisdom, not us). 1 Thessalonians 5:18 The Message (MSG) says, “thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.” Therefore, whenever we don’t particularly feel like dealing with the hand we’ve been dealt, we need to remember the importance of making a choice. We, as God’s children, have the ability to choose to take things that come to us (even difficult things) as an opportunity to give thanks. We have an opportunity to learn and grow and change as we go through whatever experience we may need to go through. We may feel like something we’re going through doesn’t have any value whatsoever. However, from God’s perspective, it may have all the value in the world. Remember, God knows what’s coming next … He knows that what we’re going through now has the potential to help us in the future (if we let it)… and all because we went through what we’re going through now (rather than trying to get out of it). So, today, the timeless truth to remember is to choose to give thanks … no matter what you may be going through, no matter what hand you may have been dealt. You can choose to say, “deal” to God’s plan for your life (even if you don’t understand what’s going on) because you know in the bottom of your heart that you can trust God and that He’ll always help you through whatever it is you’re going through. So, don’t try to make everything easier or more perfect just to avoid going through things (that will only cause more problems). Instead, deal with the hand you’ve been dealt by leaning on the grace of God that will give you all you need to overcome and win this hand of life!
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