Have you ever seen an old fashioned carriage pulled by horses? Western movies famously include these horse drawn carriages in many scenes; often it’s a stagecoach transporting people or cargo, usually money. Have you ever noticed those black discs right up by the horse’s eyes? They’re called blinders and they put them on horses so that the horse can’t see behind them and usually they can’t see to the sides either. So what’s the point of these little discs? Why don’t you want the horse to see behind or beside? Basically, horses get easily distracted or spooked. If they could see what was going on behind them or beside them they might not do what you want them to. Blinders are especially helpful for horses in cities, because if there’s a big crowd around them and they can only see a small part of the crowd, they won’t get so nervous. Also, when the horses are moving, the blinders prevent them from looking around so much and keep their attention straight ahead. They might get distracted if they could see everything or they might start drifting off course because some little thing out of the corner or their eye catches their attention. For similar reasons racehorses have a variation of blinders on their racing hoods.

            The reason I bring up blinders for this topic is because we as humans sometimes need blinders for many of the same reasons that horses do. We can become easily distracted by what is happening around us. These distractions may cause us to veer off track or slow down and even forget the path we’re on towards God. Another common occurrence in life is when we look at who is around us and compare ourselves with them or wish we could be doing what they are doing. These people may be fellow Christians who are doing the exciting things in their journey with God that we wish we could be doing; they could also be non-Christian friends who are doing the “fun” stuff you feel like you’re missing out on. For these reasons we need blinders by our eyes, but I’m not saying we should buy a set of genuine horse blinders and wear them everywhere we go. I’m suggesting that we need to build up spiritual blinders to keep us from being distracted, from veering off course, from taking our eyes off the goal, and from comparing ourselves to those around us.

            Another reason we need these spiritual blinders is because each of us is unique. God didn’t make any duplicates. Each of us was, as the Psalmists describe, “wonderfully and powerfully made,” and God personally knit each of us together in our mother’s womb. If we’re always paying attention to what those around us are doing and comparing ourselves to them, we’ll never give God the time or opportunity to show us who he made each of us to be. God made each one of us for specific purposes and instead of concentrating on what others are doing we need to focus on God and let him show us what those purposes are. They may not be what you think they are or what you hope they are, but they’ll definitely be what God designed you for.

            Also, keep in mind, that your blinders shouldn’t make you ignore others in trouble, they should only stop you from comparing yourself to those around you. If you have the chance to assist someone else who has fallen, don’t let your blinders prevent you from seeing the opportunity. Finally, understand that life is a race. Paul uses this analogy many times in his writings, but not as the kind of race we’re used to. At the end of this race there isn’t only one winner and you’re not competing against any of the other runners. You’re racing on your way to God and the ultimate goal of Eternal Life with Him. The race is a marathon and we need to keep in top spiritual condition as well as follow the map God gives us in order to finish.