Blind Spots

I’ve been telling people for months that I seem to have lost my ability to park straight. The car is just askew enough that it draws my attention when I get out. I’ve been driving a new car style for 11 months, and tonight I’ve found a pack of reports from other people with the same experience. Vindication! No one is sure why this is happening, possibly something about the shape of the car or the view from the driver’s vantage point. Reports indicate that the car does have a larger blind spot than normal. I was reminded again tonight, as I was driving home, how big a blind spot can be. Perhaps I was tired, or perhaps I had been lulled into the state of a lemming, following the trailer 15 miles below the speed limit for several miles, but as I continued following the trailer to merge onto another interstate there was a truck that suddenly appeared out of the blind spot, like a magician seemingly pulling a bird out of thin air. Thankfully that driver was more alert than I was! I think I’m normally pretty conscientious about checking for blind spots because it never ceases to amaze me how an entire car can slip into that space and become virtually invisible - that is, if one relies on the mirrors only. I could perhaps understand a motorcycle or a scooter, but an entire car, invisible? Unlikely! It’s not the best theorem to try and prove while you’re driving, but just take notice that you will probably have to look somewhere else for the full picture.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are all-seeing and all-knowing. From your vantage you can see beyond our horizons and beyond our understandings. You can see how lives fit together and how actions are brought into accountability. Just because we can’t see the entire vision all at once does not mean that there is not framework and support in place. Let us remember to look on either side of ourselves to see what could be hidden or concealed at first glance. It could be as small as a turtle crossing the road, or as large as an elephant that no one discusses. Let us not be blindsided by obvious obstructions because we didn’t think to look beyond our forward view. Let our congregation be cautious, but not afraid to enter the journey, joining the course of the saints. Let our intention be with you. Amen