If you look at the passenger side rear view mirror on your car, you read that ominous warning, "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear." In other words, what appears to be a safe distance away is actually too close for comfort. These words have actually become the title of a book and even inspired a song with that name. These words have a lot of applications for life in general.
There is a scientific explanation for this statement. The mirror on that side of the car is convex in order to see cars that might be in your blind spot. That is the spot you can't see with a regular mirror, when actually it is right next to you. Warning or not, you still have to check that blind spot on both sides before you make a lane change.
Imagine how many other blind spots we actually have in our lives. By nature we are completely blind spiritually-unable to see the glory or the power of God. It is because of that darkness, that we are unable to see our own sin and accursedness. The Bible frequently says that there is a place of permanent darkness reserved for those who do not believe the Gospel (e.g. Jude vv. 6, 13).
Even as Christians who walk in the light, we still have many blind spots that we need to be warned about. Many of these are willingly ignored. Usually we do our best to cover them up, but they are nearer than they appear to us. These are the things we don't like to face or admit, but they are still there. Ephesians 5:8 tells us, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."
We have blind spots with regard to the person of God. If we fail to confess His sovereignty and put limits on Him, we are blind to His power and authority. When we question His providence, we limit His wisdom. Sometimes we question the justice of God or the truth of God-we deny certain things in the Bible that are clearly there. If we question that God is a God of love, because disasters appear, that is a blind spot. For some, there is a blind spot even about the day of judgment. It's as though if we don't think about it, it will never happen. Paul warns Christians in Romans 13:11-13, "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and envy."
Within ourselves we have plenty of blind spots-sins and character flaws that we don't want to see (cf. Ps. 19:12-13). Anger, selfishness, greed, lust, hatred, and a host of other sins are there and we know it. But, we don't want to admit that they are there in our lives. It is not easy to admit that we have blind spots, but we all have them. Sometimes they are big. And there are times when, like Job's friends, we seem to see the blind spots in others' lives better than we can see our own. Jesus pointed this out in Matt. 7:3-5 when He warned us to remove the huge plank from our own eye so we can see the tiny speck in another's eye.
In our relationships, we can sometimes be blind to the sins of others. We have heard that "love is blind." Young people are vulnerable to this when they are dating someone. This means we may have blind spots about the weaknesses or sins of others around us. This doesn't mean we can't see them, we just won't address them. We're perfectly willing to turn a blind eye to these serious sins in others.
It is possible to be blind to moral activity-the wrong places we go, the wrong things we do, the wrong friends, the wrong movies, songs, or books. Christians know better, but we willingly close our eyes to them. James 1:22-25 tells us about looking in the mirror: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."
The sad thing is that others can often see the blind spots that we refuse to admit to. We can be sure that God does not have a blind spot when He observes our lives. He sees all. He has also given us the light of the Gospel and His Holy Spirit so we can see these sins in ourselves as well as in others. These things may be a lot closer to us than we think or would like to admit.
Just like when driving a car, we need to make the effort to look over our shoulder at the blind spot. They are closer to us than we think, and we know it. Once we face these blind spots, we can repent, be forgiven, and turn from them. "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit" (Ps. 32:2).
