Derina Pyles
Horse Sense
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3: 5-6 (KJV)
Traveler looked up at me from his Bible, waiting for my reaction to the verse he had read. We had finally started our morning devotions again after the busy fall season. It felt good to get back to our normal routine.
“I like that one, Traveler. Any particular reason you picked it for today?” I asked. As he thought about my question, his big brown eyes narrowed and he struggled to find the right words.
“It’s okay if you’re not sure, my friend,” I said, attempting to relieve his uncertainty. “Sometimes I’ll have a verse that speaks to me and I may not know why. That’s one reason why I love our devotion time together. It gives us a chance to reflect together.”
“I’m not sure why I picked it, Hay-Woman. Seems like the last few months we were so busy running around like chickens with our heads cut off…” he scowled. “Why is that even a saying? ‘Chickens with their heads cut off?’ I mean it’s so disturbing,” he shook his head to clear the image from his mind.
“Traveler, stay on task, buddy,” I gently reminded him.
“Anyway, you know when you’re so busy going from one thing to another that you forget to pray every day or read your Bible and let the selfish side take over,” Traveler said, hanging his head. “I guess I’m just feeling a little guilty. I have been so focused on myself and all the horse shows and clinics.”
“You know, I’ve been feeling the same way lately,” I begrudgingly admitted. “I think most Christians feel this way at times, Traveler. I also think that, even though we get busy with our day-to-day lives, our convictions help us return our focus to God. We shouldn’t dwell on it, but get back on the horse,” I said. We both rolled our eyes in unison at my statement. “Just like us starting back with our devotion time. To me, this verse speaks of hope.”
“Hope?” Traveler said, tilting his big gray head as he spoke.
“Hope is a feeling of trust. If we trust in God, and not our own understanding, we have faith and hope that his plan is the best plan. That’s not easy to do. Especially when we get busy with our own everyday problems and challenges,” I said.
“Let’s remember one thing, Hay-Woman,” Traveler stated, matter-of-factly. “God is always in control.”
“He most definitely is, Traveler.”
