GENTLY GUIDED

The other day I was giving a riding lesson to a 17-year-old girl who was eager to learn better riding skills. She had been riding for 10 years and was having problems getting what she was looking for from her horse.  So I put her on a really nice 5-year-old Palomino mare that was dog gentle.  The horse had about 20 rides on her and loved when she got ridden.  She never even thought of bucking and lived to please whoever rode her. 

So, I put a snaffle bit in her mouth and the teenager mounted up and headed out while I was explaining how she could lope both ways and listened to feet a little.  I told her to put her left leg on her and point her nose a little to the right.  When she did it the horse made a nice little 10-foot circle.  She was amazed that a young horse with so few rides could do so well. 

I explained how horses are taught to listen to direction or pressure from the bit and our feet when they are broke to ride. They are also taught to give way to it.  For example, if you sit on your back pockets and shift your weight and lift your hands lightly the horse will stop because of the weight shift and light pressure. She will try to stay under it and be pushed back by yielding to the bit.  As I was explaining this to her she applied it right in front of me, and the Palomino mare did it fairly slow but accomplished what she asked.  Then, I explained that on a young horse once you establish communication for a walk you could try a jog next. That is when the humor began. 

The young rider didn’t make it 30 seconds before you would have sworn she was chasing a snake: A little to the left, then the right, then back to the left.  They ambitious rider yelled, “Why will she not go where I am trying to get her to go???!!”  So I asked her to stop and get off.  I crawled up on the mare and showed her how to trot her in a nice circle first try. She was not very happy to say the least. I got off and let her back on. I explained that the horse was a clean slate and that she will tell you blatantly if there are areas that you are not riding well.  After the lesson, she practiced riding with her feet and hands and balanced her weight with posture for the first time in her life. When she walked the mare back to the tack room she was surprised how much fun she had. “It’s easy, point the nose where you want to go and push with your feet, stay in the middle and you end up where you want to go!” she exclaimed with a big smile. “Riding a horse is easy if you don’t try to muscle them and you guide them softly . . . who would have thought. I guess I need a few more lessons.”

This lesson can be applied similarly to walking with God.  When your willing to let Him into your heart so He can walk with you, it is no different then that Palomino letting that teenager on her back.  God wants to be a part of your life and you are in control of how much you will let Him.  The way God wants to walk with you is through love and forgiveness.  You are loved by Him whether you realize it or not and you receive His forgiveness by accepting Jesus into your heart. That acceptance and forgiveness opens up a heart-to-heart relationship between you and a loving God and the Holy Spirit is sent to you to ride through every circumstance and season that you face daily.  When you keep your heart pointed in the right way by following his still small voice and gentle nudges by the Holy Spirit; God walks you into peace, joy, hope, faith, and much, much more.  Loving people and being quick to forgive is the trail He would like to give you strength to walk on.  It brings more life to every day you live.  He knows the way.

Until next month, ride with God,

Travis Klingeman

Pray this prayer:

Lord, I am so thankful that you provided a way to walk heart to heart with you. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to teach me to be aware of You and how to surrender to Your leadership and to see the value of people and family.  Show me how to forgive and walk in Your love.  Give me Your inner strength to enjoy every day Your way.  Thank you for all the blessings You have poured out on my life in so many ways and the strength to walk through anything.  You are so faithful and full of love. Please make me like You.  In Jesus name, Amen.