How often do we come with our burdens before the unchallengeable, all-loving God and Savior of our souls? We come and worship Him from the muck and mire that is the guilt and shame of our innumerable missteps that forever seem to encumber our lives. We come with an unspoken pain and grief and desire for Him to lift these burdens from our weary shoulders. Yet Peter said, “…humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7.
“Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.” (Psalms 141:5 KJV) The book of Proverbs tell us that “faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6) and “as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17).
As we grow in our relationship with God, we can suffer from blindness. It is not the “blind leading the blind” kind of darkness, but rather an inability to have a clear 360 degree view of how we are doing personally. We could call it “a blind spot.” Because of these blind spots, we need to have personal accountability with other believers who are mature enough in the Lord to wound us for our own good. When a surgeon cuts out the cancer from a patient, it seems at first as if he is causing harm. At the moment, the cutting, blood, and pain for that patient can seem overwhelming. The truth is that without the skillful knife of the surgeon, the patient would die. The short time of pain and recovery is a small price for a long healthy life. So next time someone who loves us points out one of our shortcomings, or an area we need to grow in, maybe, instead of taking offense, we could take it to heart.