Blinders. What do you think of when you hear the word? Maybe you think of the negative connotations, such as, "She has 'love blinders' on and cannot see what he is really like." But I have learned there is a positive and proper use of blinders.

In the mountain town where I used to live, we celebrated "Winter Carnival" — a midwinter, weeklong festival that included winter sports, ice sculpting and a good old-fashioned parade. I remember the big Belgian workhorses pulling sleighs loaded with hay down Main Street. Attached to each horse's headgear were blinders — big black wings — that cupped the horse's eyes, blocking part of its vision.

"Why do they always put blinders on the horses?" I asked my friend Sally, a knowledgeable horsewoman. "It seems sort of mean to me."

"Oh, no, it's not mean at all," Sally said. "Blinders are helpful tools, and there are good reasons for using them.

"Horses have limited side vision because their eyes are situated toward the sides of their heads," she explained. "Because they're only seeing out of one eye or the other, sudden movements on either side can frighten them, causing them to bolt or shy away.
"Also, it's hard for horses to see what lies directly ahead, so it's difficult for them to focus down the road. By putting blinders on a horse," Sally continued, "a handler helps him focus straight ahead — on his job, his purpose and his destination."

Understanding their use made me think that, in a sense, I need spiritual blinders — blinders that block out what would frighten me off my path of living for Christ, tempt me to stop my walk with Him, or distract me from my course of obedience to the Lord — while keeping me focused on my destination: the day I meet Jesus face to face.

Shying at Shadows
Have you ever seen a horse shy? A rustle in a bush or a sudden movement can frighten a horse, sending him fleeing. The horse I rode when I was young could shy sideways so fast she would move right out from under me.

I have experienced startling assaults in my spiritual life too. One Christmas Jodi, a friend from high school, called. "I really need God in my life," she said. "Can you tell me how to find Him?" Could I! I met with Jodi, and before she left she received Christ as Savior.

When I shared the news with friends, one said, "The Holy Spirit led her to Christ. Claiming you did it is the sin of pride."

I was stunned. In telling Jodi's story, I expected other believers to rejoice with me and be encouraged. Instead, hurtful words came at me suddenly and unexpectedly and, like a startled horse, I shied away. I felt less trusting of Christian friends and reluctant to share again when I saw God at work.

Any sudden shadow — harsh words, anger, betrayal, criticism, misunderstandings, misinterpreted motives — can cause us to shy from our path. Then our progress toward Christ is impaired.

Jesus experienced assaults from the sidelines too. The Pharisees questioned and opposed Him (Matthew 21:23). The crowd misunderstood Him (John 6:15). Even His disciples rebuked Him (Matthew 16:22).

How did Jesus respond? He often retreated to spend time with His Father. Through prayer, Jesus could block out the words and deeds of those who would divert Him from His course. He could then refocus on His Father's will for Him. Jesus was putting on His blinders.

When people — even Christian friends — throw words or deeds our way to divert us from our course toward Christ, it is time to put on our blinders. When I put my spiritual blinders in place, I am choosing to stop looking at who or what has blindsided me and am refocusing on my Father's will for me.

Does this mean I block out godly rebuke or advice from others? No. It means that after I have prayerfully considered the advice, and have checked to see if my heart is right and my motives are pure, then I can block out every shadow that would drive me off course and focus solely on Christ, who beckons me onward.

The Apostle Paul often faced opposition, but he was not concerned with pleasing those around him. He only wanted to please Christ. Therefore he wrote, "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me" (1 Corinthians 4:3-4). Paul had his spiritual blinders firmly in place.

Tasting Temptations
I understand that a good workhorse is not tempted by a nice green clump of grass on the side of the road. But the old mare I had when I was a kid sure was. She would head straight for those clumps of grass, and it took all the strength I had to rein her in and move her on. I remember wishing I had blinders for her — to keep her from seeing those temptations.

While sudden shadows might cause me to shy away, I choose to go off course for temptations. Temptations attract me like green clumps of grass on the side of the road.
Covetousness: "I wish we had a house like theirs."

Envy: "I wish I had his talents."

Gossip. Selfishness. A critical spirit. Materialism.

Temptations themselves are not sinful — only when I stop to indulge is it sin. Then all forward progress ceases. It is time to put on my blinders.

Jesus, too, faced temptations. In John 11:7-8 the disciples tempted Jesus to delay His work. Jesus said to His disciples, "'Let us go back to Judea.'

"'But Rabbi,' [His disciples] said, 'a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?'"

Jesus knew that giving in to the temptation to pause on His journey would stop His progress toward His destination: Judea. Then Jerusalem. Then the cross.

When I am tempted to stop alongside my path and indulge in a little sinful behavior, it is time to put on my blinders. Blocking out what I see in this visible, physical world of material possessions and fearful problems helps me focus on the invisible Christ. Then, as Paul put it, I can "fix [my] eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Distracted from Our Destination
Parade horses have many distractions on the sidelines. I remember one clown who allowed her horse to drift toward the curb and then sniff and nibble at giggling children. But drifting toward distractions can be dangerous.

My husband, Hal, a highway patrolman, says that when he pulls a car over, the biggest danger for him is the inattention of other drivers. "If a driver stares at my patrol car, he'll tend to drive straight toward it," Hal says. "We tend to drift toward what we focus on."

So true. While I know temptations draw me away, distractions gain my focus and subtly draw me off course without my realizing it. Unlike temptations, distractions do not stop my forward motion. I keep moving — I just drift off in the wrong direction.
Ephesians 2:10 tells us there are "good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." If I am not careful, taking on tasks God never intended for me to do can keep me from doing the work Christ has uniquely called me to do.

One day I received yet another phone call asking me to speak at a local function. "I don't do public speaking," I informed the caller, but I felt the pressure. I had turned down several offers recently, and some friends had urged me to begin a speaking ministry. I hung up the phone, rested my elbows on my writing desk, and cupped my face in my hands. I have prayed about this a zillion times, Lord. I don't want a speaking ministry. Nevertheless, if You want me to speak, I'll do it, I prayed.

Immediately, I had one of those rare encounters when I felt God's unmistakable answer present in my mind. "I want you here," He said.

Here? Peering through my hands cupping my face like blinders, I looked around. "Here" was my writing desk. I adjusted my spiritual blinders to block out the pressure and calls from well-meaning friends, picked up my pencil and went back to work.
Distractions draw us off course because they look like such good works: I need to visit so-and-so, cook a meal, call a friend. Sometimes church and Christian friends add to the list by asking us to join a ministry, teach a class, hold an office, lead a Bible study.
The early church faced such distractions too. In Acts 6, "the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food" (v. 1).

The Twelve might have been distracted by this worthy cause, dropping their own work to manage a successful ministry to the widows. Or they could have worked to satisfy others' expectations. But they did not. Instead, they focused on what God had called them to do, saying, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables" (v. 2). They found others to carry out the ministry, saying, "We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word" (vv. 3b-4). These men had their spiritual blinders firmly in place and their eyes focused on the work God had uniquely called them to accomplish.

Putting on my spiritual blinders helps me block out distractions and focus on the work God has called me to do — nothing more, so I will accomplish nothing less.

Dependent on the Handler
While blinders can help keep a horse from shying, becoming tempted or distracted, and help him focus on his work, blinders also limit a horse's vision, making him more dependent on the handler. As I put my own spiritual blinders on, I am not only more focused on Jesus, I am more dependent on Him as my guide and handler.

My limited vision forces me to wait for His guidance and to trust His course. I depend on Him to lead me step by step past the scary shadows, beyond the temptations on the sidelines and through the distractions. If I shy off course, stop to indulge in some sin or become distracted, the result is the same: I am not moving toward Jesus. But when I choose to put on blinders to outside influences, I am better able to "fix [my] eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2) and walk straight toward Him, my destination.