Joseph and Jessa my dad had an illustration that he often referred to when he was challenging me to do the right thing. He talked about the horses that are used to pull wagons. The horses have blinders on the sides of their eyes with a carrot dangling out in front of them. The blinders keep the horse from having peripheral vision and the carrot holds their attention. The horse doesn't need to be alarmed, distracted or led away by things off to his sides. He simply needs to keep moving forward. What is in front of him is the goal and focus. I have had spiritual blinders on, so to speak, since I asked Jesus to be my Savior. They are designed to keep my eyes on Jesus and growing closer to Him. It is only when I stubbornly turn my head and pursue my own interests and other loves that I end up in a mess. Are you familiar with the song Broken Road, written by Rascal Flatts? It is a love song, but I like to think about it as my life song. I see it about the things I have intentionally pursued or unwillingly experienced that ended up hurting my heart. God, in His divine plan and grace, used them to bring me to the point where I love Jesus more.