Sometimes It Is Good To Have Blinders On

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Isaiah 46:10

I have seen it over the years but it finally registered with me the other day while watching an old western show on TV. Often those using horses would have blinders covering the sides of their horses eyes. Looking it up I found out that horses have almost 360 degree vision and can be easily distracted by things around them. You might see horses with blinders on today in Amish communities and areas where they still use a horse and buggy to get around in. Imagine a horse going ballistic every time a car passed by the animal while hauling an Amish family to church and such. It would be a dangerous situation.

We live in the most distracting times imaginable. Sounds from every direction, smartphones to distract us, that sixty cycle hum present in every home running appliances. Then there are news alerts, 24 hour news about tragedies heard from all over the world–something our ancestors couldn’t have imagined. 

We have necessary distractions, worries over ill family members, perhaps troubles at work or with social interactions with others. Then there are fun distractions like video games, get togethers, entertainment of all sorts. It’s a wonder we ever get five minutes alone with God.

Even when praying and trying to get closer to God our mind wanders, the general attention deficit disorder that we all suffer from, not just those diagnosed with it, by living in our modern era we are deluged with distractions. Multitasking is considered a good thing even though you often end up getting lots of things done badly instead of a few things done correctly.

It is a challenge for the Christian today to build up a relationship with God. Though we have churches on nearly every corner, more Bibles available than ever before in history, along with more religious books, podcasts, shows, and technology to bring us closer to God–the busyness of today’s world robs us of that necessary time for God in our lives.

The answer is to stubbornly, or creatively, make time for God. If there is something you are determined to do badly enough–you will find time to do it. It is the same in making time for God.

This world and everything in it is constantly buzzing around our heads keeping us distracted from the most important things in life. Like those horses needing to focus on the path ahead instead of being distracted, perhaps we need some blinders that will narrow our focus to the primary purposes of life including a growing relationship with God.

Prayer: Dear Lord, forgive us for getting so busy and diverted toward other things, and losing focus on You. Help us avoid distractions so we can grow in Your love and grace as we spend time in Your presence, always keeping you in our sights. Amen.