Horsing Around!

James 3:3-10 ³When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. ⁴Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. ⁵Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. ⁷All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, ⁸but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹With the tongue we praise our LORD and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

It was a beautiful day in Lancaster County. Sunny and warm, even though it was November! We were on our way to visit ‘Emma’s Popcorn’ shop but I became distracted!

The shop had a small door that gave you no indication of the surprises inside! It opened up into a small shop filled with all flavors of popcorn, and samples of each. It included the entire manufacturing operation for the popcorn business behind the counter. Of course, we bought popcorn, and some candy treats as well. The total operation was run by a group of precious Mennonite women! It was what captured my eye before we went in that distracted me.

We parked the car right in front of a horse barn. The horse had his head out over the half door and he looked so friendly, I had to go talk to him (or her). We were in horse and buggy territory and there was a buggy inside the barn on the other side, but this horse is what captured me. There was no one around to ask about the horse, so I have no idea what kind, how old, for what purpose this horse was in the barn. What I did know is that the horse came right over to me as if to welcome me to his humble home. I gingerly stroked the side of the horses face and the horse was kind enough to allow me to do so. I talked quietly to the horse, and suddenly the horse was ‘whispering sweet nothings’ into my ear. Or, maybe he was trying to eat my earring, I am just not sure! What I do know is that I felt a peace in my heart just petting this beautiful creature and watching the response as he attempted to nuzzle back. I felt no fear or danger, though in a different circumstance, I might have been. It was only a momentary connection between two of God’s masterpieces. Over the weeks of my illness I went back to that momentary creature connection in my mind. It always gave me a joy in my heart!

When we all get to Heaven it will be so exciting to be able to interact with all of God’s creation on a different level. For now however, I just enjoyed a few minutes with a beautiful horse.

That interaction reminded me of the verse in James that tells us our tongues are not capable of being tamed! A small harness was all that this horse had on and yet that large animal stayed put and did not try to escape from the barn. He was trained that way. It takes a lot of time and patience to train any kind of animal to live in a domesticated situation. It takes a very long time for teachers and parents to train us to live in this world as civilized, courteous, caring and conscientious people who can get along with people in every situation. My horse friend learned well how to socialize without being obnoxious. Some of us humans need to go ‘back to the barn’ for some retraining in this area! Please tell me what you think!