Let Him Ask of God

One day as I was driving, a friend said to me “One day someone is going to be in your blind spot.”

Although that aggressive comment is true – and I am grateful for that comment – it may not be the best way we would want to approach someone about their blind spots.

In the social circle, friendship groups know of the saying, “every group has one” regarding one friend who is “stranger” than the rest – and that individual doesn’t even seem to notice it.

We may all know of one person who is so full of themselves. Elder Jeffrey R Holland said, “Haven’t you ever been with someone who was so conceited, so full of themselves that they seemed like the Pillsbury Doughboy? Fred Allen said once that he saw such a fellow walking down Lovers’ Lane holding his own hand.”

We would all like to give those people more than a few words.

But really, before we approach any of these people, we ought, of course, to look at the beams in our own eye. We might then discover that there was no mote in the other person’s eye to begin with.

Any flaw in my personality or perspective that may be obvious to others but of which I am oblivious to, let us call blind spots.

Blind spots are painful to deal with and sensitive to address. We all have one friend that is very honest with us – and thank goodness we do because the rest of our friends will let us figuratively keep that small blob of ketchup on our cheeks the entire time of hanging out with them.

God is one such friend who is honest. But in my scripture study this morning, it dawned on me as to what ways He may present and has presented His honesty.

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”              - James 1:5

Wisdom: The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.

The verse thus suggests that in answer to our queries and prayers out of a lack of experience, knowledge, and judgement, the Lord will give us experiences that will increase our knowledge and cause us to develop good judgement. Like many movies I see, one who is lacking wisdom is led by a mentor to have experiences that cause the mentee to see life in a different light.

One may be expecting the still small voice to give Him knowledge, when really, God has placed an event or two in the upcoming days, months or years in the timetable of that individual’s life.

For me, an example was my prayers and desire to have more charity. On top of all the studying the Lord guided me through, the Lord sent me on a mission. It was from a mission that I discovered all the blind spots I didn’t know about in my personality. On the topic of charity, He demonstrated that the way I treat others is good in this and this and this way, but terrible in this and this and this way. I am ever grateful that He showed them to me, despite any intellectual and emotional pride that at that time blocked my view. He saw my sincerity, and gave me my mission (experience) with missionary companions, where I could learn (knowledge) to see what charity is, and develop a higher perspective (good judgement) of what it also is not.

That is one interpretation – out of many interpretations – of James’ words.