Nowhere is this phenomenon more true, and potentially more harmful, than in the area of our own self-knowledge. The truth is, we all have major blind spots—gaping holes in our self-understanding. And this ignorance about ourselves affects everything about us: our attitudes, our hopes and dreams, and especially our relationships. We need help from the outside or we’ll continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.

God’s Searching Love

If we’re willing to let people in, they can help us see ourselves more clearly, and we should be thankful for that. It’s a wonderful gift from God. At the same time no one can show us ourselves the way God can when we seek Him in prayer. The amazing thing is, He knows absolutely everything about us and still loves us and accepts us just as we are. His kind of love encourages us to open ourselves up to Him completely, holding nothing back. And when we do, His Spirit is able to gently point out areas that need to change. When we know we’re loved and accepted even with our flaws, we’re so much more willing to listen to correction.

Bottom Line

Asking God to search and test you takes courage. And yet it’s something we all need to do if we expect to grow in self-understanding and godliness.