Take a look around you. Can you see everything in your surroundings? Most of us would say yes. But the truth is, whether your vision is 20/20 or corrected by lenses, the answer is the same: no matter how hard you try, you cannot see everything around you.
The human eye has a blind spot—a small area on the retina, about the size of a pencil eraser, without photoreceptors. We usually aren’t aware of this blind spot because our brains fill in this blank area with the surrounding images, making our visual field appear seamless. But this is an optical illusion. With one eye closed, any object passing through this small field will disappear momentarily.
In addition to our blind spot, we also have what psychologists call “cognitive blind spots“—gaps in our perception that blind us from seeing the truth about ourselves and others. These blind spots block our minds from seeing reality and blind us to other possibilities, even when they are right in front of us. Because we are blinded to reality, we are immobilized and crippled by guilt and shame, anger and bitterness, worry and regret, and fear and anxiety.
Accepting that our lives have become unmanageable is the first step. It usually comes when we have walked right into a brick wall of pain due to our lack of vision. Ever said any of these things to yourself?
- “This is not my fault.”
- “My parents just didn’t get it.”
- “Nobody can help me but me.”
- “I know how to deal with this on my own.”
- “I’m not the one with the problem here.”
- “How could this person hurt me, knowing what a victim of others I have been?”
- “You have to be crazy to see a counselor.”
- “Anyone would feel this way if he or she knew what I have been through.”
- “When the person who hurt me makes a move toward resolution, I am prepared to respond, but not until then.”
People live in defeat and denial, immobilized by their own mistakes or mistakes of others. They stumble around in life with blind spots blocking the work God wants to do in them. It does not have to be this way! No matter how broken or hurt, every person can discover the way to healing, hope, and a joyful new way of living. Walls of pain erected by past traumas need not be the obstacles they so often become. Getting past these walls means removing our blind spots so that we develop a truth-based perspective that will allow us to move on.
Beginning to recognize our need for recovery comes when we have lost our way, hit the bottom or have lost what is most precious to us. It requires awareness of our state of life and surrender to a process that will provide hope for a bright future.
Right now, you may not even know what your blind spot is. Maybe you do know, but have not been willing to address the issue. Maybe you think you can figure out why your life isn’t working. Are you putting forth effort and seeing few results? Are you stuck? Your blind spots are likely holding you back.
The important thing to remember is this: no matter how big your blind spot seems to be, there is always a way to see beyond it and move into the future God has for you. Always. There is a way around it, through it, over it, or there is a way to remove it. It’s called Recovery. The process of working through the wounds or a past that keeps resurfacing requires a new way of looking at things.
Seeing reality from a new perspective liberates you to live with less pain and conflict, full of purpose and meaning, and free from a past that cannot be changed. If you are willing to take a step forward and begin the journey, it could be the beginning of a whole new life for you!
Begin today by reaching out to ask for help in seeing the truth about your life and be willing to look at a new way of dealing with the old view of things.