In Reflection – Meeting Reecie

Two years before I met her, Reecie’s original owner surrendered her to a rescue organization. 

Reecie lived at a foster farm several counties away from me. Over the next few months my husband and I traveled the three-hour round trip to visit her. These visits were designed to evaluate whether she and I would be a good match before I would be allowed to adopt her. 

Even though she could be led, Reecie seemed uncertain, hesitant, so I worked within her comfort level.

Reecie, at the foster farm, 2005

During each visit I brushed her and learned what kind of strokes she liked, where she was ticklish, what made her content and relaxed or fearful and upset. I saw how quickly she learned new tasks. As I cleaned her hooves, by the time I’d gotten to the last foot she had picked it up on her own and waited for me to take it in my hand. 

 It was here she received her early education as a riding horse. Sandy, the trainer, taught Reecie the basics of good ground manners and, before I could take her home, proper behavior under saddle.  

I learned that Reecie is friendly, enjoys the company of people as well as other horses, loves to be groomed and pampered, she’s patient and stands still, at least most of the time. She seems to enjoy doing games and acts like she wants to understand what’s being asked of her.  

Driving back and forth on these trips my mind would start with the self-doubt and the “What if…” questions, such as 

What if she’s too young and too green, what will I be able to do with her?  

What if my skills aren’t good enough? How hard will it be to train her? 

What if I don’t know enough? 

What if I mess up? Am I up to this task? 

 My next visit gave me some answers to those questions. Sandy walked Reecie around and through an obstacle course of playground toys, picnic table, etc. I saw how quickly Reecie learns and adapts to new situations if she trusts the person who is leading her.  

I’ll be able to do everything I teach her if she knows she can trust me. She won’t be difficult to train because she wants to please and enjoys learning. 

In Reflection:  

When I trust God as my Leader, it’s easier for me to adapt to new situations and potentially frightening events. 

“Lead me in Your truth, and teach me…,” Psalm 25:5 (NASB). 

Lord, thank you for this sensible little horse and the opportunities this journey offers. 

In Reflection – The Open Door

Before the wind could whip my hat away, I grabbed it and tossed it back into the car because I didn’t want to chase it all day.

March 5, 2005 seems like such a long time ago but will forever remain in my memory as the day I fell in love with Tennessee Walking horses. 

The Carolina Walkers hosted the Camden Classic horse show on this beautiful sunny day but the wind blustered and roared. Hats and paper cups blew everywhere. Dirt devils swirled and died. I was amazed to watch these beautiful horses, unperturbed by all the commotion caused by the wind and the activity of the show itself.

That day I made new friends, people and horses. I even held the reins of a mare I’d just met, A Royal Night in Vegas, while her owner, Sue, ran a show-related errand.  

I stood near the arena, looking at Vegas, with her calm, quiet demeanor, while the wind gusted and I knew my dream horse must be a Walking Horse. This type of personality and courage was just what I wanted to fulfill my vision.  

After all, I wanted a horse that I could take to small shows and have fun hanging out with friends, competing and comparing our skills and the talents of our horses. I wanted to show in trail obstacle, driving, halter, and pleasure classes. I dreamed of learning dressage, riding in parades, exploring wooded paths. I couldn’t afford more than one horse to get all of this accomplished in my lifetime. It was such a wonderful thing to have found a horse that could do all of this with the additional bonus of the comfortable ‘glide ride’ of a Tennessee Walking Horse. 

During my dream horse search, and while developing contacts with people in the horse world, I received a picture, via e-mail, of this young, untrained filly named Reecie.

Often I stared at her picture on the computer—imagining the trails we’d ride, the shows we’d enjoy, the fun we’d have. Trying to justify the foolhardiness of me—an overweight, out-of-shape, middle-aged woman with bad knees starting over with a young horse who didn’t even have enough training to be called “green” yet.  

It was during one of these daydream sessions, asking God for the wisdom to make the right decision, again gazing at her picture on the computer,

I saw IT. More than just a blaze, her face marking is ─ a CROSS. This, no SHE, is the open door and with that cross on her face I knew it wasn’t a mistake. God had brought this horse into my life for His purpose. 

In Reflection

Recognizing the door God opens is superb, having the courage to enter is sublime. God granted me courage for that moment, Reecie is the horse He had planned for me all along. She brings me tremendous joy. I am grateful God closed the doors I tried to enter without him. 

“Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him” (Isaiah 64:4 NASB). 

Lord God, thank You for the closed doors that made it possible for me to wait for You and to wait for Reecie. I’m so happy You gave me a horse marked with a cross. A beautiful reminder of You every time I look at her face. 

COVID-19 and Its Impact on the World

COVID-19, a strain of coronavirus, brings the world to its knees.

Not nuclear war, not an ice age, not an earth blasting meteor, but a microscopic virus halts a large portion of the economy, sending people scurrying to buy stuff they might need. Many businesses and stores close their doors, people out of jobs, finances uncertain…grocery shelves empty.

Social distancing fractures certain relationships yet strengthens others as people adapt to spending time with only a few people, mostly family.

Face masks provide a barrier to transmission of the virus, but also takes away the personal aspect of facial expressions. We can’t see someone smile, or frown. The hearing-impaired who rely on lip reading as an aid to communication are now closed off from conversations.

Are we doomed to become a robotic society? Faceless, communication through electronic devices our only option?

Lord God, I pray this is not so. I pray this will, instead, bring us closer together. As we battle a common enemy, we need to reach out to You and to support each other in this fight. Yet we MUST let common sense prevail. We must maintain our humanness and our relationships.

Relationships built on love, compassion, growth, and doing things together.

I walked with Reecie, my horse, along a grassy lane. When she lowered her head to graze, I gazed at the trees and the pond nearby. After a few moments, I lifted my hand on the lead rope and we walked a few strides before she stopped again to graze. Unhurried, we walked, she grazed, we walked some more.

Part of the fear of COVID-19 is the unfamiliarity of it, how to recognize an infection, how it might impact us, what to do to prevent it.

I walk Reecie on these sections of the farm because I want to make the property familiar to her, to take the “scary” out of it. With the familiarity it will become safer for me to ride this area, after the virus scare is over. She and I can get back to riding and add these trails to the area we travel. I’m inspired by the words of a teenage girl, who commented years ago about Reecie getting a good foundation because we “do stuff” in addition to riding.

Reecie and I built a relationship on the foundation of “doing stuff.” Sure, I do the basics of horse care, things like – feed her, brush her, clean up after her. But often I just relax and spend time with her. Just Reecie and I, going for a walk, challenging ourselves with new areas or new tasks. Building on our foundation and strengthening our relationship.

Let’s use these quarantine, self-isolation, stay home mandates and policies as a way to build our foundation with our families, and with Jesus Christ. Take the time do more than just the basics of survival. Do stuff together wherever we are. Challenge ourselves with learning more about Creator of this universe.

I want to spend time with my Savior. Reading His word, enjoying His creation, sharing my ponderings with others. Let me know if I can help guide you on that path.

What relationships are you building? What ways have you found to do stuff together, yet maintain the required social distancing?

Ponder this—no matter how scary the coronavirus is, God’s power is much greater and the victory is already His!

“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Romans 8:37-9 (NASB).

And THAT is the ultimate relationship. 

 

My ponderings on abortion

This blogpost differs from my usual style, but I’ve pondered a post on Facebook which includes an article on patheos .com and even my own beliefs about abortion since the day I first read the post on a friend’s timeline.

This is my response to the article, to the question the article poses about what the Bible says about abortion, and even come to terms with what I truly believe. My response includes my research discussing with people who stand on either side of the abortion issue and why they believe what they believe, checking out other websites regarding abortion/abortion statistics, and reading my own Bible. Scripture notations are taken from the NASB translation.

I’ll start off by stating that I’m conservative in my beliefs but too moderate to call myself a Conservative and too conservative to declare myself a Liberal.

In the article Genesis 2 is mentioned as saying life began when God breathed life into the man. And the article suggests that without breath, there is no life. I refute the interpretation that this limits life with breath.

First,  I believe this breath of God did in fact begin Adam’s life, but also that it infused him with a spirit, different from the life force given to animals. We can agree that oxygen (breath/air) sustains life. Animal life at least. Merriam-Webster defines breath as “spirit, animation,” and spirit as “an animating or vital principle to give life to physical organisms” and dictionary. com defines breath as “life, vitality’ so Genesis 2 offers a broader meaning than the patheos article suggests.

Second, The Bible states in Luke 1:41 where Mary, pregnant with Jesus, visits her cousin Elizabeth, pregnant with the child that would become John, the Baptizer – “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Now obviously, something that isn’t alive, cannot leap therefore the unborn baby, still in Elizabeth’s uterus, not having taken his first breath of air, is living. Moving of his own accord. Any woman who has ever been pregnant to the stage of feeling movement of the baby inside her knows very well that the child is a living, moving, waking, sleeping, and even, leaping being. Not “fetal tissue” but a LIVING BEING. No more than any of us reading, or posting on facebook, are just physical tissue.

Some of the comments to my friend’s original post state (paraphrased) that if killing (the unborn) is wrong then so is taking the life of an insect. Genesis 1 – 3 outlines God creating the world and all that is in it, telling man to be fruitful and multiply, granting man duties and responsibilities to till the land and exercise dominion over the animals (again I turn to Merriam Webster to point out that the words dominion and domain have the same root). So basically, Adam was told to take care of his household (the Garden of Eden). The term “animal husbandry” has the same connotation and the same responsibilities.

Had Adam and Eve not sinned by disobeying God (who reserved dominion over humanity for himself) we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. But the truth is we live in a fallen, sinful, depraved world. And that now includes death, disease, destruction, and despicable behaviors.

The patheos article references punishments and in particular states Exodus 22:22-23 as not requiring much in the way of punishment for “men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury … fined …. But if there is injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for a life.” My thoughts on this are — if there’s no further injury then that means the baby may have been premature but is otherwise uninjured, the woman may have given birth prematurely but the birthing process itself is not an injury and if she is otherwise uninjured then there is a fine for the assault but no further penalty. If either the woman, or the child, is injured then the penalty is a life for a life. Later we see Jesus preaching compassion and forgiveness. My belief, and again this is after much pondering of my beliefs is the penalties outlined in Scripture were to give us boundaries and prevent taking full-scale vendettas or making wars between nations. One life, for one life. No more.

The patheos article argues against Christians using Psalm 139:13, “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb” as proof of life before birth. I agree, this verse does declare Gods omniscience, but it doesn’t mean that we’re just fetal tissue until we’re born. It means God MADE each and every one. And knows our purpose, our life path, our decisions. Why every child is not perfect, and why every pregnancy circumstance isn’t planned out, and why some children are born into poverty – well, we live in a fallen, sinful, imperfect, despicable world.

I believe abortion is wrong because no matter the circumstances of conception, pregnancy is temporary, it only lasts nine months. Death for the unborn child is permanent. A permanent death should not be used to “solve” a temporary condition.

I add this link as my final answer http://www.abort73.com to the patheos article, which was really more about political positions (written shortly before the last presidential election) than it was about religious viewpoints on abortion.

Clear Trails, God’s Path

Hurricanes and summer storms uprooted trees. Branches fell. Torrents of water created gullies where there used to be a sandy trail.    

One of my favorite trails to ride my horse became impassable from one end because of the huge tree that lay horizontal. Hollow, dead, crushed at one end.

The clear trails are those which are bush-hogged, trimmed, maintained with care and attention. The trees stand tall with limbs shading the path. These trees protect the horseback rider, or hiker, from the blazing summer sun and offer a lovely carpet of leaves on a brisk, fall morning.

As we travel these paths we can savor the beauty of creation. Birds, sunsets, flowers, and floating butterflies are there for us to enjoy.

To remain clear the paths must be tended. Fallen branches might need to be moved out of the way. Grass and weeds have to be bush-hogged and trimmed.

The trail blocked by the fallen tree was no longer passable and the other end of it lay uncut and overgrown with weeds. In a similar way, if we ignore God’s path it will become overrun with the fallen branches of sin, and the weeds of indifference will block our way.

Imagine the joy and beauty we experience when we allow God’s Word to bush-hog our hearts!

“All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies,” Psalm 25:10 (NASB)

 

 

One Like No Other

Shattered, broken, shards strewn everywhere. Whether it’s a dish that crashed to the floor, or overwhelming tragedies in life, still—shattered.

Drowning in debt, the loss of a loved one, or relationships falling apart often leave us feeling broken, useless, unworthy. Sometimes the broken dish can be repaired with some glue but usually it’s swept up and thrown into the trash. Devastating circumstances can cause us to trash ourselves, others, give up on any repair.

 

Yet, there is hope.

God uses these same challenging circumstances to mold us like a potter molds a lump of clay.

A potter places the lump of clay on a wheel and sets the wheel in motion. The clay is thrown in ever spinning circles. The potter’s hands encircle the clay, applying pressure in just the right places to form the shape he desires.

Sharp tools carve out designs, provide special features, help each piece become unique.

One like no other.

Our circumstances, good and bad, become the pressure and the tools in the Lord’s hands as He shapes us into the person He desires.

One like no other.

Just when we think that all is lost, hopeless, God reminds us that He is the Potter, and He’s not finished yet. He squeezes us, remolding, pinching off a piece here, and smoothing over a rough patch somewhere else. He changes us in a “do over.” To make us—

One like no other.

“Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand,” Isaiah 64:8 (NIV).

 

One Like No Other

Shattered, broken, shards strewn everywhere. Whether it’s a dish that crashed to the floor, or overwhelming tragedies in life, still—shattered.

Drowning in debt, the loss of a loved one, or relationships falling apart often leave us feeling broken, useless, unworthy. Sometimes the broken dish can be repaired with some glue but usually it’s swept up and thrown into the trash. Devastating circumstances can cause us to trash ourselves, others, give up on any repair.

 

Yet, there is hope.

God uses these same challenging circumstances to mold us like a potter molds a lump of clay.

A potter places the lump of clay on a wheel and sets the wheel in motion. The clay is thrown in ever spinning circles. The potter’s hands encircle the clay, applying pressure in just the right places to form the shape he desires.

Sharp tools carve out designs, provide special features, help each piece become unique.

One like no other.

Our circumstances, good and bad, become the pressure and the tools in the Lord’s hands as He shapes us into the person He desires.

One like no other.

Just when we think that all is lost, hopeless, God reminds us that He is the Potter, and He’s not finished yet. He squeezes us, remolding, pinching off a piece here, and smoothing over a rough patch somewhere else. He changes us in a “do over.” To make us—

One like no other.

“Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand,” Isaiah 64:8 (NIV).

 

The Greatest is Love

Oh no, Lord. Not again. I breathe in silent prayer for the young man who staggered up to my counter at the store. Father, I don’t know if this boy is drunk or strung out on drugs. But You know him Lord. You know what problems he faces, the struggles. You even hold the answer. Please help him overcome whatever holds him captive.

“How can I help you.” The young man asks about our Western Union service. I finish his transaction and watch while he walks away. Still not steady, but walking. I pray for his mother too.

We’re told, “pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NASB) and that makes sense with the many opportunities to pray for others. For deliverance, for salvation, redemption, health, finances,

For peace….

At the store I also see many reasons to praise God for the love and grace He provides.

“But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love,” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NASB). Some translations have the word love translated as charity and this love is evident in the tiny grocery store as customers give to others—

The leather-clad biker who leaves his change, a $20 bill, to the young mother with a toddler and an infant, standing in line behind him.

The woman who pulls out her debit card to pay the remaining $7 for a college student’s purchase so he doesn’t have to choose what food to put back.

The man who reached into his own pocket for the change needed to cover the elderly man’s meal.

People who struggle to feed themselves and their own family yet pull out a $5 bill to purchase prepackaged groceries for the local food pantry.

The cashiers who put a handful of change from their own purses at their register, just in case somebody comes up a little short.

The director of a faith-based thrift store who arranges with the grocery manager to pay the bill of a family enduring hardship.

These things demonstrate the greatness of America. It’s not the politics (which often leave us disheartened no matter what viewpoint we hold) but the people. Their love and their prayers.

Our Love.

Our prayers.

Our Father.

“… put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, …
“Whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father,” Colossians 3:14-17 (NASB).

Loose Terminal = No Power

Saturday my husband and I ran errands. We got into the car to leave the first stop and head to the second. The car wouldn’t start.

Nothing. Not even a click.

He looked at me, I looked at him, he said, “Go see if someone can give us a jump.” I got out of the passenger seat to go back inside Sonic to get help while he tried again. It started before I reached the restaurant door so I climbed back into the car.

Weird.

I finished at the credit union (Saturday hours are great), got back in the car. It wouldn’t start. Again nothing.

My husband got out, opened the hood and started checking things. I sat in the driver’s seat to test it when he asked. He wiggled this, adjusted that, but since all his tools were home, we still needed to get there. One final adjustment, he signals me through the windshield to turn the key. This time it started. Next few errands will have to wait for another day. We needed to get the car home before we got completely stranded.

In the driveway at home, Tony checked the car again, turning the key in the ignition.

Nothing.

He pulled his tools out of the garage and went to work. He found a loose battery terminal.

photo courtesy of Pixabay

Loose terminal = no battery power to the engine components.

The day before, Friday, I read 1 Chronicles, Chapter 13 about David moving the ark of the covenant. He didn’t follow the instructions God gave on how it must be transported, and bad things befell the men who were moving it.

“David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?”
2 Chronicles 13:12 (NASB).

On the surface these two events are not related, yet how many times do we limit the power available to us, the power of God Almighty, because of our fear?

Fear is like a loose battery terminal. It impedes the flow of energy. It prevents us from drawing upon the power of God. Of course, we can’t manipulate God, but we can tighten our connections.

And just like my husband needed his tools to tighten the battery terminal we need our tools, the Scriptures, to keep our connection to God, and His power.

Update. The car is running fine.

Lord, how many times do I limit the power available to me through You by letting fear control my behavior instead of doing things Your way? Help me to learn from David’s mistakes and not repeat them.

Holding onto God

I work in a grocery store. I’m amused by the man (usually it’s a man), who will shop without a cart or basket. He hunts for the items he needs, gathers them into his hands, tucks boxes under his arms and makes his way to the cash register. Sometimes blindly, as he can’t quite see over the load he’s carrying. His hands are full!

At the register he sets and sometimes drops, the boxes/cans/bags on the conveyor belt. Many times, he breathes a sigh of relief. Whether it’s because he’s grateful he made it without dropping anything on the floor or because THAT chore is finally over, isn’t always clear.

I watched an infant reach up to her mother from the seat in the shopping cart, crying. Mom reached out to take her child in her arms, but the little girl’s fists still clenched the toys she held. Her hands were full!

Last year, I was in a similar situation but instead of boxes, cans, bags, or toys, I juggled worries over financial problems, nervousness over a job interview, and concerns over moving decisions. My hands were full!

I cried out to God. I knew He heard my prayers, but I couldn’t see the answers. My arms were overloaded with anxieties blinding me to His Presence. I cried out louder, then I realized—Holding onto God is easier when there’s nothing else in your hand.

Are you holding on to too many things? Is God reaching out to you, but your hands are full? We often hear the phrase “Let go, and let God…” but do we truly “let go?” If you’re struggling or juggling too many things remember it’s easier to hold onto God when there’s nothing else in your hand.

“But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,” Joshua 22:5 (NIV).