Blind Spot Monitoring

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life (Psalm 139:23–24, NLT).

I currently drive a Mazda CX-7. It’s a new-to-me vehicle that I bought from my twin brother and his wife in August 2020. It was three months after having their second child, and they needed to upgrade their vehicle space. As a result, Aunt Katie was able to make an upgrade, too.

After arranging a meet-up to exchange the vehicle, I soon found myself on the interstate, headed home in my new whip. I was loving all of the features: Sirius XM radio, backup camera, and heated seats were just a few.

The one feature I wasn’t expecting was the blind spot monitoring (BSM). BSM relies on sensors in the side mirrors to detect any vehicle activity in adjacent lanes, and when it does, a light flashes on the same side mirror to notify the driver. In addition, if a blinker is on to signal an attempt to change lanes, a beep accompanies the flashing light to make sure the driver is aware that it isn’t safe to change lanes.

If I’m being honest, I remember being slightly annoyed at the flashing and beeping in the beginning. I think that’s because I wasn’t used to having any sort of warning signal and had learned to rely on my own vision as a way to check my blind spot. That seems counterintuitive, right? It’s called a blind spot precisely because it’s an area around us that’s difficult to see. Without BSM, we are required to check adjacent lanes by taking our eyes off the road ahead, which puts everyone in more danger.

Have you ever been in a situation on the road when you’ve missed something in your blind spot? I know that’s absolutely true for me, on the road and in life. At times, we are all blinded by our own perceptions and prejudices that have been born from our unique life experiences. Those blind spots don’t make us bad people, but they do highlight the importance of needing spiritual blind spot monitoring.

I love that the Lord often provides what we need through the people around us. Think about the relationships in your life. Do you have friends, co-workers, family members, a spouse, etc., who act as your blind spot monitor? If you don’t, I want to encourage you today to pray about who the Lord might put on your path that will help you determine the areas in life where you may not be able to see clearly, or even at all. I am so grateful to have two trusted friends, among others, who walk beside me on this journey. They are my spiritual sensors who signal me when they see something I don’t, and they remind me to keep my eyes focused on the road ahead.

As I have grown on my walk with the Lord over the last several years, I have come to love Psalm 139: 23–24: Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. This verse is a prayer, and I am so grateful that God hears our prayers. I want the Lord to be my blind spot monitor, to search my heart, and to show me areas of my life where I may not be seeing clearly. I am asking Him to be my signal so that when I need to make a change, I am able to keep my eyes focused on the narrow path ahead instead of straying into adjacent lanes when there is oncoming danger.

Just like buying a newer vehicle, when we say yes to following Jesus, we receive new features in our lives. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. If we are willing to pay attention to these new features we receive as followers of Jesus, He will always be our signal and our guide.

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