Do You See the Black Dot or the White Page? A Lesson on Grace, Judgment, and Imperfection

Do You See the Black Dot or the White Page?

Do you notice the little black dot in the middle of the page, or do you see the entire white sheet of paper?

Some people surprise us by focusing solely on the black dot—completely overlooking the wide expanse of white space surrounding it.

Recently, I wrote and published my first book, titled Servant Shoes. It’s available on Amazon, Kindle, and Barnes & Noble. I don’t expect it to change the world, and I’m not anticipating any significant financial gain from it. Still, it was a labor of love.

After hearing about the book, a friend ordered a copy. When it arrived, I received a text from them:

"Just got your book! There’s a misspelled word in the introduction."

I’ll admit—I was taken by surprise. A 100-page book, carefully written, professionally published, featuring a beautifully designed cover... and yet, there it was: a misspelled word in the introduction.

My mind began racing with questions:

• How many books has this person written and published?

• Did they have anything positive to say?

It reminded me of a powerful truth: We are all prone to noticing the flaws—the black dots—in others' lives far more quickly than in our own.

Jesus addressed this very tendency in Matthew 7:3-5:

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

The comment about the typo was valid. There was a mistake. And it served as a humbling reminder: I’m not perfect—far from it.

But in that moment, I was reminded of the One who is perfect—my Jesus.