Spiritual Blinkers
By Dean Collins
Last year my wife and I toured Churchill Downs and Keeneland. It was fascinating to see these horse-racing venues and watch the jockeys and trainers work with the horses on the track. While visiting one of the venues, we saw the various equipment a jockey wears as well as the equipment a racehorse wears during a race.
If you have ever watched one of the Triple Crown races, you have probably seen some horses wearing colorful hoods that fit over their eyes. I thought they were called “blinders,” but while visiting Churchill Downs and Keeneland last year, I learned they are actually called “blinkers.” Not all horses use blinkers, but many do. Their purpose is to limit a horse’s peripheral and rear vision. The result is better concentration and focus on what is in front of them as they run their race.
I wonder if we might benefit from some “spiritual blinkers” as we seek to follow Jesus more closely.
I have noticed in my own life that the distractions of the world can sometimes cause me to miss the mark and focus on the wrong things. And if I am honest, if I am not careful, it is easy to do the right thing for the wrong reason.
Jesus was well aware of our struggle with both motive and focus. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us to let our light shine brightly so that others will see our good works and give glory to God. A little later in His sermon, Jesus said that we are to be careful about practicing our righteousness before others in order to be seen by them.
It seems that Jesus knew our temptation would be to sometimes do the right thing for the wrong reason. According to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus wants our lives to become so aligned with Him that we do the right thing for the right reasons.
The apostle Paul urged us toward the same understanding. In Galatians 1:10, Paul raises a question that we should ask ourselves: Am I seeking the approval of people or the approval of God?
Jesus said one way to manage this challenge is to not let our right hand know what our left hand is doing. Of course, this is an exaggeration designed to help us understand that we are not to sound our own trumpet or make a big deal about our giving or our service to others.
God knows us completely, and His approval is all we need for a full and satisfying life.
Father, forgive us when our pride gets the best of us and we want others to know about the good things You have called us to do. Today, we declare that Your approval is all we need. We love You. Use us today to bless someone else for Your glory and Yours alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Matthew 5:14–16, 6:1-4; Galatians 1:10 ESV
Photo by Pexels
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