Have you ever been walking along and caught your toe on something that wasn’t expected, stumbled and lost your balance? It’s alarming, isn’t it? Your heart skips a beat and everything immediately shrinks into a very tight focus with instinct and survival kicking in high gear.

Walking through life, spiritually speaking, is much the same. There are stumbling blocks and blind spots that cause us to tumble, even fall. More importantly, they often keep us from connecting with our Creator in an authentic relationship in that the practice of them or the effect they have on us impedes our spiritual acuity.

This disconnection is dangerous. It prevents the kind of relationship we can only experience with the One who designed us to interact with Him in honesty, humility, and total exposure. In the absence of this raw expression of love, we feel distant, untethered, and numb.

Okay, it’s time to take your spiritual temperature. Where are you with God lately? If the answer is distant and detached, or anywhere in between,  then you may be dealing with emotional blind spots and tripping over spiritual stumbling blocks. The tricky part is naming these encumbrances.

Admittedly, we don’t particularly like to expose our shortcomings and our places of deviation. And even more than that, in an effort to conceal them, we often justify and water-down the places where we stumble, playing them off as if no one is watching.

However, there are more than enough witnesses in the heavens, in our families, and in our places of work. We are kidding ourselves if we think otherwise. What do you say? Are you ready to open your eyes wide and identify those attitudes, habits, and places of infraction that cause you to stumble?

Our purpose in this is not to shame or blame, but to remove the obstacles that are hindering our ability to truly connect with Christ. To hear his voice of direction. Receive His comfort. To bask in His presence. These special gifts of intimacy that bring us into a place of spiritual edification are most potent when we are walking in freedom. And to do that, it’s imperative to remove that which entangles us (Hebrews 12:1).

Blind spots can be in the form of prejudices, perceptions, and pride. Then there are more prominent stumbling blocks—people, our past, and our pain among many other human conditions and limitations. When these govern our lives, our spiritual energy is zapped and we are rendered ineffective in our passions and purposes.

Our first step in clearing the way is exposure. Identify that which is causing you to stumble. Give it a name. Take some time to understand why it has a hold on you. You might even have to shed a few tears over it. Go ahead. God sees all your tears and captures each one. Trust me, they mean something to Him! Your life, your experiences, your pain, everything that makes you who you are, is precious and recorded (Psalm 56:8).

The next step is to apply the truth of God’s word to your particular impediment and bring it into alignment—only then will it lose its power to harm and hinder you from experiencing true connection with the Creator.

Lastly, walk boldly with God in confidence that even though you may stumble and fall in your humanness, He will always be there to catch you. You may not always feel Him, or His presence, but nevertheless, He is always there. Always available. Always willing to hold on to you even when you’ve let go of Him.

Intentionality is the key. When we choose to take inventory and seek the sacred space—the space only God can fill when His presence is a consuming expression of peace and assurance—can we remove the emotional and spiritual hinderances. This special space must be held in the highest esteem. We need it. We crave it. It makes this crazy and unpredictable life we lead meaningful.

Reflect and Respond:

Our challenge this week is to identify one blind spot or stumbling block that is keeping you from fully connecting with God. Pray about how to expose it so He can heal it, and then work together with Him to remove it from your path.

Even in the depths of discovery, nothing is wasted. Especially our blind spots and stumbling blocks. They are useful in molding us into the men and women God has created and called us to be. The deeply rich beauty is found in the process of transformation.

Hugs for a great week and remember, you are not alone. Be blessed as you clear the way to a deeper spiritual connection.