Blinders

Early in my childhood, my father had a team of horses which he used for some of the field work on the farm. These were huge draft animals, at least huge to a person who was only three feet tall! There are many straps and bands, rings and buckles that make up the harness of a work horse, but I really remember only one: the blinders that were attached to the bridle. These were fascinating to me. Why would you not want the team of horses to see where they were going?

That's just it. The horses could see where they were going, but that's all. The blinders prevented them from seeing to the rear or side. Their attention was not diverted by every little sound or movement around them, and so they stayed focused on the task at hand. They were not as likely to be "spooked" by the sudden appearance of a jack rabbit jumping up or a quail whirring away in flight.

We may have something to learn from the horses' blinders. How easily our attention is drawn away from what is before us! The Apostle Paul talked about staying on task. "I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." (Philippians 3:13, 14) A great many things around us compete for our attention, but not every thing is deserving! We can choose what is worth our time and attention, and then turn our "blinders" toward the other things that would simply consume those personal resources without profit.

MaryMartha
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Scripture quotation is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com