If we are honest, we are all full of pride, and not in a good way. We compare ourselves to others and usually find ourselves superior. To illustrate this, look at the following questions and ask yourself, “Am I above or below average in each of the following areas?”
I am able to get along with people
I am an honest person
I am a hard worker
I’m fairly intelligent
I am a moral person
How did you do? If you’re like most people you rated yourself above average in all areas.
My guess is that everyone who is reading this rated themselves above average. We wouldn’t put ourselves at the top, but we also wouldn’t put ourselves below the 50% line either. But math tells us that at least half of us must be below average. We just don’t believe we are below average in these areas. We all have blind spots we can’t see. People around us see them but we are blind to them.
Here’s the point: We are often better at seeing others' issues than our own.
We can see their failures and flaws without even trying. Take a moment and list your top three character flaws.
How did you do? Did you have a difficult time coming up with even one? If you are married, ask your spouse - they’d be happy to help. : )
How can we see our blind spots? How can we get an unbiased opinion of where we need to grow, improve and change? Trade your binoculars in for a mirror.
Binoculars assist our eyes in seeing things far away more clearly. Many of us are walking around with a pair of binoculars all the time. We see the problems with others and that can cause us to be critical and judgmental of them. The thing about binoculars is that they stink at helping you put on makeup or checking you hair.
We need to exchange our binoculars for a mirror. Hopefully, today before you walked out of the house you looked into a mirror to make sure everything was in place. If you see a stray hair or something in your teeth, you can make the proper adjustment before you embarrass yourself.
What I am saying is that we are good at judging others, picking apart their words, behavior and life. We tend to compare ourselves to others and generally find we are doing better than most of the people we see daily. That’s the problem with binoculars, they don’t ever get to self-examination.
When was the last time you picked up a mirror and gazed into your heart, your soul, your life? When was the last time you took the Word of God and dared God to reveal something you don’t want to see? When was the last time you came to grips with what God sees in you?
That’s what the mirror of God’s Word will do; it will show you the hidden things, the things you can’t see on your own. It will reveal your heart.