Inside My Mind

How often are we distracted from our purpose? How many times do we work and plan out projects and goals, only to have something come along that captures our attention, leading us to another path. When we see something 'bright and shiny' we turn away, forgetting where we are going and what we should be doing. When I am involved in something, I tend to stay with it until completion as long as there is a readily reachable short-term goal. The farther away the goal, the harder it is to stay on track. Physically, when I plan to exercise today, I will. When I try to set four days a week, I will sometimes get distracted. When I plan for a ten-pound weight loss, I am frequently distracted by Dairy Queen. Financially, I can avoid spending money on junk for a while. I can look the other way in the check-out line at the grocery store. But every once in a while, I get distracted and spend on something big when I shouldn't. Spiritually, I know my long-term goals of obedience and fait...

We have a wonderful, loving Labrador who brings great joy to the family. When she was a young dog (we didn't get her until she was about 16 months old) I worked with her to show her the boundaries of our property. We have an underground fence and we put flags around the fence line and she quickly learned where she could go and where she could not. At first, she had to learn what was meant by that discomfort she felt when she got too close to the line. Early on, she would occasionally break through, deciding that the risk was worth it, but then she would have trouble deciding how to get back home. She would wait outside the border for me to take off the collar and safely lead her back home. I was thinking about this when I watched Bella romp around the back yard. She has learned from my teaching where she can go and stay safe. All she knows is that within our boundaries, she has freedom to play, eat, drink, and rest. She has a pretty good life. She doesn't realize th...