have you ever wondered why horses wear those “blinders” by their eyes? i did. when i was little i just thought they were cool and wearing sunglasses. who am i kidding? i still think they look like sunglasses. haha. when i was informed they were called blinders, i was curious as to why we would make horses wear something that made them blind. oh the imagination little me had haha. then, someone explained to me that it helps the horse not be distracted from other things on the sidelines, instead, it keeps their focus straight ahead on what their goal is.

i don’t know about y’all, but i need a pair of blinders. i tend to get easily distracted by things around me and lose sight of what my real goal is. instead of being content with the clothes that i’m blessed with, i get envious because my clothes aren’t name brand or as cool as someone else’s. instead of being thankful for the amazing adventures photography allows me to partake in, i want more and more. and when i see someone else achieve something, something that i didn’t even necessarily want, it then becomes a new mission to earn it.

life can get pretty tiresome when it’s lived like that. don’t get me wrong, i’m not like that ALL the time. but when i stray from where i know i need to be with God, my wants/needs reflect that behavior. not cool.

so how do i fix it? you guessed it! i’m getting a pair of blinders made for myself, glitter and everything. HA! just kidding, but for real. wouldn’t that be nice at times? maybe i’m the only one who feels like this (although, i’m sure there are more of you:).

an old wives tell said that blinders were invented by a preacher. he bet his friends he could get his horse to walk up the stairs in his house. and he did. easy peasy, no problemo. the issue then came when he tried to walk the horse back down the stairs. the horse was not having it and refused to follow him. that is when blinders were made. the preachers covered the horse’s head while only being able to see him. because the horse had no where else to look, he trusted the preacher to lead him where he needed to be and didn’t get distracted by the “scary” stairs.

i feel like this happens a lot with me and God. i get so distracted and God’s over here like, “yo ashley! just keep your eyes on me and everything will be fine!” maybe he doesn’t say it exactly like that, but he could. it’s pretty simple really. just keep your eyes on Him and everything will be okay. i know this for a fact, because when i experienced a break up in college it was pretty similar to this. when i spent my days absorbed in worship music, having fun with friends, and staying encouraged in God’s word, i wasn’t upset and i had a calming sense of peace over me. when i DIDN’T keep my eyes focused on him, my mood definitely changed. i would become anxious, jealous, and worry about “will i be a cat lady for the rest of my life?”

crazy, right? you think i would learn, but oh i am a silly girl. thankfully, God still loves me and doesn’t give up on me. wow. how cool is that? God NEVER gives up on us. no matter how many times we get distracted, He’s always right there waiting for us. that is amazing and definitely something i don’t deserve.

so the moral of my little post is that i need to stop getting distracted with what is going on in everyone else’s life. i need to have blinders on and keep my focus on Him. He will give me a peace that surpasses all understanding (philippians 4:7) and that is all i really need. i don’t need j. crew clothes, i don’t need 100 weddings a year, and i don’t even need photography. all i need is God and whatever He gives me, i need to be content with.

keep those blinders on and focus on what lies straight ahead for you. don’t look to the left or right to see what everyone else is doing. keep your eyes on Him, trust Him, and He will make your paths straight (proverbs 3:5&6).

just my thoughts for today.