Lessons From A Horse

This week I was presented with the question..."What have you learned from the horses this week?"

I had to stop for a minute and think about that. I have really taken my job a week at a time and just gotten through each day not truly paying attention to what God had to teach me through my job. I took the rest of the afternoon to think about my time here at camp and ponder the lessons that I have learned from the horses.

Lesson Number 1: I need WAY more patience in my daily attitude "diet"
Horses are not always the most patient creatures. They have a tendency to be impatient when waiting for trail rides, when going on the trail ride, when vaulting...ok basically all the time. Being a wrangler I have the tendency to get frustrated with them for not being patient and yet how many times a day am I impatient for something and allow people to be frustrated with me.

Lesson Number 2: I need to be considerate of other people's feelings in each situation.
Horses have emotions just like we do. They get scared, they get angry, they are sad and happy. There are so many times a week that I get upset about something or I get scared and I really hate it when people get irritated with me for feeling the way that I do. Being a wrangler I get to experience lots of pony "moods" and I would get so frustrated with them when they would be anything but happy. The thought was presented to me that if I don't like others to be frustrated with me then what right do I have to become frustrated with others?

Lesson Number 3: I need to have a heart that is more submissive.
Since I have been here I have been able to watch a few horses get round-penned. Basically, they get in trouble and get to run around in circles. As we were watching our vaulting horse get a work-out this week we were talking about the way that she was looking, out, away from the person in the middle of the pen. Why was she doing that? She was looking for a way out. I really thought about that and how a horse being worked is like a Christian who is going through a trial that God puts in their path. Until we are ready to be punished for wrongdoing or go through a trial and look to Christ rather than look for a way out we will continue to go though that experience in a painful way.

Those are the things that I learned this past week. Things that God placed on my heart and convicted me about. So with new lessons learned and a wonderful relaxing weekend ahead of me I will Keep Calm and Write On.