Blind Spot Monitoring, Part II

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’ve been driving my Mazda SUV for four years now. It took a little time to get used to it, but the blind spot monitoring is a feature that I love. Using sensors to detect vehicle activity in adjacent lanes, it’s been very helpful in preventing accidents, and helping me be aware of my surroundings on the road.

Over the last 6 months I’ve started having issues with the blind spot monitoring being “turned off”. The flashing light on my dashboard has become more consistent, but instead of checking into what’s causing the problem, I have continued to drive my vehicle, regardless of whether it’s working or not. 

Life is a lot like buying a new vehicle. We get excited about the features we didn’t have before. We’re concerned about the way it looks, and how well it drives. If this issue occurred when I first bought the vehicle from my brother and sister in law, I would have been intentional to figure out the problem, and get it fixed. Because the car has become familiar, I’ve learned to ignore some of the warning signals. 

Ouch. I bet I do that in my spiritual life, too. The Lord has been good to me. He often provides what we need through the people around us. I am so grateful to have so many trusted friends 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. 

In the last 6 months I had several spiritual sensors move to different cities. Though we are still closely connected, and very good friends, it has changed how we do life together, which presents a new challenge. If I want to live a God honoring life, and be obedient to staying on the narrow path I have to be intentional to make sure my spiritual sensors are still working, even though it looks different now.

It has caused me to lean into one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Psalm 139:23–24 says: 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 God hears our prayers. I want the Lord to search my heart, and show me areas of my life where I may not be seeing clearly. I am now relying on my spiritual blind spot monitoring in a different way, but if I’m intentional not to ignore the warning signs, they can and will continue to help me keep my eyes focused on the narrow path ahead. 

Think about the relationships in your life. Do you have friends, co-workers, family members, or a spouse who acts as your blind spot monitor? I want to encourage you today to pray about who the Lord might put on your path to help you when you may not be able to see clearly, or even at all.

Just like buying a newer vehicle, when we say yes to following Jesus, we receive new features in our lives. Though the paths we’re on may change, may we never let the newness wear off in a way that leads us to ignoring the warning signals. 

When Jesus died on the cross, He ascended into heaven. But the good news is He sent us the Holy Spirit to live within 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.