Benefits of Spiritual Blinders

[This devotional was to post 4/6 but we had a web site hiccup. My apologies to the author. –Lisa]

Jesus replied, “No one who puts his h& to the plow & looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

Not far from where we live there is an Amish/Mennonite community. We love going there because it seems as if they keep every field, yard, & house in tip-top shape. It all looks so clean & inviting.

They also have a general store & bakery that I am hooked on. What fun to be able to buy things in bulk, & to see all the beautiful, h&made furniture, both for inside the home & outside.

While traveling down one of their roads one day we came up behind one of their horse-drawn buggies with two men in it. I noticed the horse had blinders on the outside of each eye.

I started thinking about the meaning of the horse having to wear the blinders when on the road, &, I came up with an interesting thought. While wearing the blinders, the horse can only focus on what is directly ahead of him. He can’t see all the hustle & bustle on either side of him, which might throw him into panic.

When I apply this fact to my life, I can see how much the blinders would help. If I could just focus on what is directly ahead of me, & not see or think about all the things that usually bombard my mind each morning, I wouldn‘t get that overwhelmed, frightened feeling. I couldn’t see all the things I would be facing that day, nor could I look back to yesterday, & days before when I felt like such a failure because I wasn’t able to do all the things I felt necessary, or fun. What a blessing that would be to me!

Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek ye first His kingdom & His righteousness, & all these things shall be added unto you.” This should be my main focus as I wake up each morning – all I could see if I have my blinders on. What a precious promise that if I “seek Jesus” first, all the things that I will face during the day will be taken care of by our Lord as He “adds His grace, mercy, comfort – & so much more.”

In our scripture text Jesus is basically telling some would-be followers that they should first “count the cost.” We can’t “put our h& to the plow & look back.” Maybe that includes looking around us, too. This could cause us to lose focus & possibly panic, causing so many problems that could have been avoided. The same as could happen to a horse on a roadway without blinders on.

If putting on my spiritual “blinders” can help me get through some very trying days, I am willing to keep them by my bedside, & put them on first thing each morning.

Thank you Lord for helping us learn to live in these imperfect bodies even by using simple illustrations. Help me keep my eyes on You.

About the Author:
Alice Ervin is a wife, mother, gr&mother & great-gr&mother. . .but most of all, she is a Child of the King. Without her faith in our Heavenly Father, life would have no meaning at all. She is grateful for His ever-presence & faithfulness.