Blind Spot Detection

Last month my wife and I went on a road trip to Tennessee with my in-laws.  We took their car that was equipped with a newer technology (at least newer to me) called “blind spot detection.”  A light illuminates on the side mirror when there’s a vehicle in that area to your right or left that isn’t covered by the mirrors.  If you put your blinker on to change lanes, a little buzz goes off warning you that there’s a danger you perhaps can’t see. It’s a little annoying but comes in handy.  I suppose the annoyance is worth the potential danger it is intended to prevent.

The fact of the matter is that when we’re driving we can’t see all the potential dangers around us simply from our vantage point in the driver’s seat. When we are taught to drive, we are trained to use our rear-view mirror to see what’s behind us.  We use the side mirrors to see what’s to the right or left of us.  Now many cars have a rear-view camera that lets us know what is directly behind us.  We rely on all these different points of view to help us avoid accidents and safely arrive at our destination.  Granted, it’s a little annoying checking all those mirrors, but the annoyance is worth the potential danger they are intended to prevent. It would be unwise to drive a car and not use these safety devices.

Life is a journey and, like driving a car, there are dangers along the way.  Some danger we can see plainly.  They’re right in front of us. However, life has a lot of dangers that sneak up on us.  Dangers that are only detected by using our mirrors.  We all have blind spots and we need mirrors to help us avoid danger.

I’d like to think that the loving and wise people in my life are my mirrors. I look to them to advise me. To warn me of the dangers that I can’t see.  Sometimes they beep at me to alert me.  Granted, the beeps of advice are sometimes annoying, but I suppose the annoyance is worth the potential danger they intend to prevent.

It’s not uncommon for people to dismiss the advice of others.  At times we even discourage it telling people “to mind their own business” or scolding them saying “who made you my boss” or even misapplying the scripture “judge not.” Dismissing the advice of others would be tantamount to tearing off all the mirrors in our cars because they annoy us. Ignoring advice, even when it is annoying, is just plain foolishness.

Do you have mirrors? Are you using them? Do you welcome advice or dismiss it? Don’t you realize that we all have blind spots and need input from others? Maybe instead of cursing those who beep at you, you need to thank them. They are your blind spot detection system.  Those beeps, however annoying, may very well save you from unspeakable harm.

Plans fail without good advice, but they succeed with the advice of many others.

Proverbs 15:22 (NCV)