Teachin the Teacher

Morning trail rides usually include breakfast and what I like to call story time. Well, it's Tuesday morning so I'm up. Deep breathe as I collect my thoughts and grab a seat on the edge of the table. "Hey yall, if you wanna grab a seat I'm gonna share a story with ya. (pause, pause) I just wanted to take this opportunity to share a little bit of my story with ya and how I got here."

"So when I was little, I loved horses, I watched all the horse movie and had the horse calendars but I had never ridden one before. When I was eight I got the opportunity to go to a wrangler breakfast like this one at Trail West, the Young Life family camp that's about 20 minutes down the road. Granted this is through eight-year-old eyes, but they put me on what seemed to be the biggest black horse I had ever seen. I was terrified! I don't even remember hanging on to the reigns, but I gripped that saddle horn with both hands. Wanting to get down so badly, my dad kept encouraging me, 'Trust the wranglers, it will be ok.'  The horse readjusted and I started freaking out even more. Needless to say, that ride took some coaxing. But by the end of the ride I had the reigns and I LOVED it!! I'm so thankful my dad didn't let me get down."

"Fast forward to college, I went to the University of Arkansas. I was working my way through school and trying to figure out how I could graduate early. It took me about two months of appealing and substituting classes but I finally got it figured out. I was gonna take classes over the summer, finish a semester early and it was gonna be great. Well, I went home for 24 hours that weekend for a friend's wedding shower. My dad asked if I had time to meet with this guy who just lost his horse person and is looking for someone to fill the spot over the summer. Um, well, I'm taking classes this summer so I'm busy...but I guess I can be nice and just meet him. So literally I met him in a parking lot about 15 minutes before I headed back to school. He needed someone to be a barn manger, which I wasn't qualified for; someone to run western camp. I had no idea how to run a horse camp, that someone would be on the Summer Leadership Team as well, and other people on that team had been to that camp for 12 years....I've never even been there and you want me to lead. So not happening!! But the guy asked me to pray about it, so I figured before I said no, that was the least that I could do. I wrestled with God on it for a long time! I had just spent two months ironing out my summer and I was so under-qualified for this thing. As I prayed about it, it became apparent I wasn't going to be taking classes over the summer. I had no idea how God was going to use this later in my life and it was far too much like a wrapped present to ignore. I hadn't asked for it, hadn't applied for the job, but it found me. So I went. I met the horses about 3-4 days before I was supposed to start. I remember getting on this one horse in particular, Cherokee. We literally spun in tight little circles the whole time, he wouldn't walk in a straight line or move forward at all. 'Lord, what are you doing? What did I just get myself into? There is no way I'm putting little kids on this!' Turns out Cherokee does better with other horses around and I rode him a good bit of that summer. It was really hard. I was there, I was working, but my heart was so not in it. Everything was their camp, their horses, I didn't wanna be there."

"One day we were doing worship and the chorus of a song just hit me. 'Where You go, I'll go. And where You stay, I'll stay.' I could hear the Lord saying, 'Well, here is where we are staying.' So that day, I got an attitude adjustment, my heart changed, and it became my horses, my barn, my camp. It was still a hard summer but it got so much easier after that. And that summer was largely instrumental is getting me qualified to be here at Frontier last summer and then I got to come back again this summer."

"I just want to encourage you with both of those stories. Both times I was fighting my father or my heavenly Father on something that turned out to be what was best for me. Yes, I am very stubborn but the Lord is patient and willing to wait for me to trust Him and follow His plan. And His plan is always so much better than mine. I am so thankful that my dad didn't let me get off when I was 8 and that the Lord didn't let me get away with my fit in college. Horses are kinda my life now and I love it! I have no idea what God is doing in each of your lives right now, but I just wanted to encourage you that His plan really is the best for you and to not fight Him on that. Well, that's how I got here. I'm going to pray for us and then we will get back on horses............"

If I only knew then that in a couple weeks I would have the opportunity to take my own advice. Being the stubborn one I am, I would fight God again when I had to come home without a job. Turns out it is time for me to learn my own lesson again. Problem is "God's best" isn't usually visible in the moment.... but sometimes, just sometimes, He graciously shows us a glimpse of what He was doing after the fact. But until then, the Lord is sweetly saying, "Do you trust me?" "Do you really, truly, trust me?" 

Now Walk it Out, Walk it Out...

Putting high school students on horses always proves to be an entertaining adventure one way or another. We had the clown, the diva, the allergic, the cocky, the pretender, the barrel racer, the timid, the rowdy, the hotshot, the sweetheart, etc., and the first-timer.
After giving a ride demonstration and dividing the students into advanced, middle, and beginner categories, I scan down the line of faces. I see the cocky guy in the advanced section with his helmet on backwards - He has probably only ridden once. I see the three divas with linked arms - They probably want to ride together and all want white horses. I see the leader hanging back in the beginner section watching his guys - He knows what he is doing but is giving up an advanced ride to stay with his nervous guys. I see the terrified girl all the way at the end of the line...trying to stay strong...but might start crying at any second...
I start assigning horses, answering questions, and correcting exaggerated "horse throwing" stories, while keeping an eye on the little girl on the end.  About halfway through assigning, I pause and calmly walk to the end of the line. I smile, ask if she has ridden before or how her last ride went, and no matter her answer I assign her, Willow. Just needed her to know that I care and will give her a horse that will take care of her. I go back to assigning the other horses, keeping the students under control, and repeating instructions they didn't hear.  Finishing in time to grab Willow, I call the little girl over to mount up.
The first-timers can be the hardest yet the most rewarding at the same time. Sometimes it requires a lot of negotiating and another instruction walk through to help them put their foot in the first stirrup. Sometimes it takes calm reassurance to keep them in the saddle. And sometimes ... "Do you want me to walk you on the trail?" ...the little girl hesitates and then slowly nods, holding back the once falling tears.
I dearly wish that I had counted how many times I walked the trail this summer. One day I earned what we fondly called "The Triple Crown" because I walked all three of three trails that day. But that isn't what matters. Walking gives a whole new perspective. I'm able to get to know this little girl and focus all of my attention on her. It is my job to protect and guide, to correct the past experience, and to comfort her fears. Also it is a choice, to put her needs and fears above myself, to leave my horse behind, and walk the 20, 30, 45 minute trail at a horse pace.
I found so many parallels and challenges in those trail walks. It is the last ride of the day, I'm exhausted and getting sick, but am I willing to sacrifice for this little girl? Trotting uphill, I can't breathe, let alone carry on a conversation...just one step at a time, love on this girl! I get the privilege to walk out the Gospel for this little girl in my own way. The Lord also showed me things in my own life. Those times when I'm unsure, scared, or crying and the Lord says, "Can I walk you?" "Let me protect you." "Let me correct your past memory." "Don't be scared, I got you, trust me." "You will be ok." How much calm reassurance it takes sometimes is unreal but He gets me up in the saddle and walks me through the trail.
We get to the end of the trail, I stop Willow and turn towards the little girl. "So how was it?" A smile usually spreads across her face, "Good."
Yes, Lord you are Good! Thank you for letting me be a part of what you are doing. Thank you for easing her fear. Thank you for giving me the strength to ...walk it out.