Aren't we all just "horsing around" a bit too much?

Monday, 5 July

Yesterday’s RS meeting: Chris Watkins, the branch president’s wife, taught a great lesson, as I mentioned yesterday, on techniques for bringing our broken hearts and contrite spirits to Christ for His healing grace. I’ll paraphrase what a cute gal from Canada visiting her soldier husband here in the branch contributed: “I’ve always thought about the broken heart and contrite spirit commandment from the 51st Psalm in terms of the way a horseman breaks a horse. Christ is the Horseman and we are his unbroken horses. We enter the pen and a saddle is cinched on. At first we are frisky, determined, even mean and “kicking against the pricks” as Paul spoke of in the 9th chapter of Acts. We know we need to be a part of the stable or team of other horses, but we’re not going to join without a fight (“I’ll show that guy on my back a thing or two first!”) The Horseman is very patient, but firm. He rarely slacks up but now and then lets the horse take the lead back to its old ways in order to not break its spirit. After a long and patient struggle, Horseman and horse finally become one. It’s not that the horse just gives up and succumbs, it’s that his horse-ly instincts tell him that there’s more to being a great horse than just . . . well, than just horsing around. With newly-gained patience and understanding, the horse sees that the Horseman is vastly more intelligent than he is. As we gradually release our hold on our old frisky ways, we are soon led and prompted by the Horseman to perform amazing chores, tricks, and feats that allow us to realize our full potential as horses. We feel better inside as we raise the bar to higher standards in our horse-ly world. As we become one with the Great Horseman and move with His celestial rhythms, we become happy and satisfied with our new life as an obedient horse.”

Somehow the analogy from our Canadian friend was just what I needed to hear yesterday. I can see evidence in my own life that I struggled far too long and hard to become tamed. I pray, however, that I have learned a thing or two along the way that has enriched my own life and may inspire others to keep from “horsing around” with the limited time span they have in their pens!

I bear testimony that God loves me and watches over me, and most important, that His son, Jesus Christ is most . . . yes, most forgiving of my warts, my foibles, my shortcomings, and mostly, of my sins – both the big ones and the little ones.

With great and grateful affection,
Sister Lindy-Lou