A Lesson From The Horse
He was not just a hobby…he was a passion. Not simply an animal…but a member of our family. He was not just a companion…but he was indeed a friend. He began his life as a race horse, placing multiple times at the Ruidoso Downs. As a young man, I loved riding horses so it was with excitement that I accepted the beautiful retired racehorse my father-in-law offered me in exchange for the gentler mare I owned.
GeGe, as he was called, was a beautiful chestnut red with a perfect white star atop his nose and four white hooves. In the beginning, he didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘walk.’ It was run for his life or stop. It took me months, riding every day after work or church, to calm him down. A full seven hands at the shoulders, GG was nothing short of beautiful.
But as the new wore off over time, the friendship deepened. I would find myself taking my Bible in my saddlebag and riding up into the foothills for time alone with the Lord. I can tell you, as a home missions pastor in those days, GG quickly became a sounding board on our rides. He knew the intrigues of church counseling, the next message I was working on, and all the nuances of organizational politics. He heard it all.
That’s why…when he was bitten in the face by a Diamond Back Rattlesnake, I couldn’t just walk away. The vet visited, gave him a quick shot, and told me to make him comfortable; the vet didn’t visit again, but I spent my days and even a good share of my nights at the horse pen with GG. By prying his swollen lips and throat apart, I gently hosed nourishment and water down his throat, keeping him alive as he healed.
We had developed such a mutual trust that he allowed me this liberty…and it saved his life. When I left to pastor elsewhere, GG found a home with a friend of mine…but I’ll never forget the horse who co-pastored with me in New Mexico! The fact is, he was a bit different…trusting, sure-footed, and determined to survive.
Not all horses can boast such characteristics. In fact, their nature even made them an example in scripture.
The Wounded Horse
Why is it necessary to shoot a horse when it breaks its leg? I imagine that such a question has been uttered by horse lovers for hundreds of years. It’s a shame to see the death of a loyal, beautiful animal due to a simple leg fracture, but this was sadly the reality for many years before recent advancements in medicine. Even now, there are some cases where it is considered inhumane to keep the animal alive. Although I was able to save my horse, it is rare and next to impossible.
The reason for such drastic measures is that a horse is such a poor patient. The horse refuses to be immobilized, determinedly banging the cast or fighting against the sling. It will not calm down enough for the leg to heal. On the other hand, a dog with a broken leg has enough sense and patience to hold it up while the horse will put his entire weight on the injured limb.
Psalm 32:9 says, “Be not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding.”
Happy is the person who learns to yield to God in the time of trial. He who maintains a rebellious, or even what we call independent, spirit does so to his own destruction. The man who says, “My Father never makes a mistake; all things that He permits will work out for His glory and my good” will weather the storm much better than the man who forges forward in his own understanding (Romans 8:28).
For this reason, I will “glory in my tribulations,” knowing that God worketh all things together for my good (Romans 5:3). Like Job, he who submits and trusts in the day of trouble will be greatly blessed “in the latter end” (Job 42:12).
We must have a teachable spirit, realizing that we cannot reason like God reasons. Be prepared in your storm to learn something new and to be pleasantly surprised by the result!
Consider Hebrews 12:11-13: “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby . . .wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.”
We indeed have a compassionate and loving God who, like I did with GG, is completely willing to stay up nights with you during your hardest trials. But we must not lean on our own understanding. Instead, to be healed, let us trust the Lord.
