Tag: horse riding

horse riding, horses

Skip the Jump

katietkennedy

My oldest daughter is passionate about riding horses which means we spend hours at the barn each week.

One Saturday morning we attended a horse show. We watched as a girl was jumping a line of two jumps. The horse jumped over the first crossbars and then refused the second jump. The girl circled the horse to redo the jump. Her trainer yelled for her to skip the first jump and go straight to the second one.

The girl nodded as if she heard the direction. She completed her circle and steered the horse over the first jump. The horse yet again shied away from the second jump. The horse and rider circled again, the trainer yelled the same thing, “just jump the second jump.”

The girl headed towards the jump and jumped over both jumps this time. I was glad to see she had gotten the horse to jump over both jumps, yet she hadn’t taken the trainer’s advice. Both times she nodded her head as if she comprehended what the trainer said. Both times she ignored the advice of the trainer.

This reminds me of our faith journey. Have there been times in your life when God tells you to skip the jump? You hear Him. You understand what He is saying, yet you can’t resist the temptation to go over the jump.

Why do we do this? Why do we ignore the advice of our wise and loving God? He has our best interests at heart, yet sometimes we think we know best.

Just like the trainer and rider didn’t seem to be on the same page that day, we often can miss the playbook God has written. We make up our own course and ride it out. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way.

God is like that trainer, showing us the correct path to take, yet forgiving us when we go astray. He molds us and grows us with each mess up we make.

Bible, blessings, bravery, children, communication, courage, enthusiasm, faith, faithful, Family, God, God's grace, God's will, Jesus, parenting, religious, scripture, spiritual, women

Keenly Knocking

katietkennedy
Little girl shown in picture not actually Charlotte

My joy-filled six-year-old daughter Charlotte awoke one Saturday morning excited about her first horse lesson. She walked down the hall and knocked on Madelyn’s door (her older sister) asking what she should wear to her lesson. 

Charlotte’s enthusiasm was not matched by her older sister who did not appreciate being woken up at 6:00 am on a Saturday. Madelyn rolled over and tried unsuccessfully to return to sleep.

This reminds me of our faith journey. Jesus will come and knock at your door. He won’t force His way in, although He could.

He comes offering a better way, help, and peace. Most of us roll over and ignore Him thinking we’ve got this on our own, we don’t need help.

For those of us who rise, open the door, and invite Him in…. oh, the wonders that await you. You can ask for wisdom or knowledge or anything your heart desires. (Psalm 37:4)

If you open that door, put your seatbelt on because you are about to embark on an unbelievable journey. You are not guaranteed an easy path, but He promises never to leave you alone. (“God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9)

God will always be there to offer assistance, wisdom, discernment, courage, comfort, and more. Even when you turn your back on Him, He’s still there, patiently waiting.

My daughter’s enthusiasm for her horse lesson does not compare to God’s enthusiasm for you. He desires you to know Him. He has blessings to pour upon you, peace to give you, and an unforgettable ride to take you on.

Don’t roll over anymore at His knocking. Get up and open the door!