Day 4 Sign #2 You Need a Change: Blind Spots

John 9:39–40

As the gatekeepers of their religion’s tradition, the Pharisees protected their authority throughout the Gospels. Understandably, leaders play a crucial role in passing on the culture’s values and safeguarding the norms. Yet we must be careful that, as God begins to shift and introduce new perspectives, we can discern that shift and adjust. When Jesus, the new rabbi in town, so to speak, challenged the Pharisees, they bristled against his proclamations of what God was doing. Sister leaders, we don’t want to miss what God is purposing to do in our lives because we are stuck in a pattern or way of doing things that is no longer contributing to our wholeness.

Sometimes it’s easier to protect the status quo, the way things currently are and have been, than change. Sometimes changing a role feels like an attack on our identity. Our roles as leaders give us such great rewards that who we are can get confused with what we do. But we are more than our roles. If our position changes, our identity does not disintegrate. If the status quo keeps us stuck, it’s time to reimagine the way we do things.

When we don’t examine our biases, these blind spots can cause us to miss opportunities. We miss them because we don’t see them. Jesus defied the accepted, normative biases of his day. He didn’t let cultural barriers keep him from his mission, nor did gender barriers or potential class differences stop him from conversing with a Samaritan woman.

If we were raised in a part of our culture that didn’t celebrate women as leaders or with people who didn’t affirm our voices and what we have to say, we might have blind spots about our own potential. And if we are in a space where those who are in charge have blind spots that make them ignore or undervalue the contributions of women like us, we may have to go where we will be valued. We will need to do the internal work that helps us grow in self-awareness of our worth, skills, and abilities and do the external work of finding places that affirm our gifts and experiences.

Reimagining our leadership will mean getting out of our comfort zones and entering a challenging zone that expands our thinking about our lives and our leadership.