"Enjoy the Ride"
The rain slipped
down my nose and hit the saddle horn. I wiped a hand across my face just as a
calf darted from the herd. The black little devil ran with his tail in the air,
freedom bound for anywhere and nowhere. My
horse leapt into pursuit while I, caught off guard, grabbed for her mane. Sweat
flying, arms flailing, hooves pounding—we caught the calf just as he veered
away. My horse tried to make the turn, but she lost her footing in the mud and fell.
I don’t remember the fall; I just remember being lifted out of the saddle and
hitting my back—hard. When I woke up, I felt hot air on my face and hair
tickling my cheek. I sat up making my horse step back. Climbing to my feet, I began
to lead my horse by her reigns, but my brother rode up.
“Get back on,” he commanded.
“No, I’m not
feeling very well,” I replied and kept tugging on her reins.
“Either you get
back on that horse now, or you will never ride again.”
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| Photo by IFYR |
I knew he was
telling me the truth. If a rider fell and did not immediately remount, he would
forever fear the ride. I placed a shaky hand on my horse’s neck thinking of what
the ride meant to me; it was wind in my hair, her mane stinging my face, the pull
of leather reigns in my hands, and the thrill of power controlled by a bar of
metal. I couldn’t lose the ride. I stuck my foot in the stirrup, gathered my
courage, and swung my leg over her back.
People experience falls
in life as well. Life isn’t predictable and, sometimes, she turns too fast and
you fall. I experienced some falls about a year ago—two in a row—that threw me
down hard. At that point, I decided to forgive and forget. But I also decided
to be cautious after those hurts by never compromising my heart again. Caution
is not an evil decision, but God never called us to hide away from hurts. (He took
Jesus through great hurt.)
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| Photo by Pony Express |
For a year, I led
life around by the reins. At college, I drew my circle of friends closer and found
myself seeking the quiet places. God had taken two things out of my life for my
good, but he had supplied me with an abundance of close friends, financial
security, freedom, and family. Somehow, I didn’t enjoy any of it even though I had
accepted the loss. My joy was gone.
I graduated from
college, came home, found a job, and started to make close friends again. But I was discontent. God had blessed me with
much, but I couldn’t enjoy it properly. I felt as if He was telling me like
C.S. Lewis wrote in his last book, “Child, you are not yet as happy as I have
planned for you to be.”
Just this week, I
was encouraged by a text from a dear friend about my lack of joy. She sensed
that I was down and told me to “enjoy the ride.” But I had stopped riding; I
was still standing on the ground holding the reins.
I began to count my
blessings (as the song runs) and remembered how blessed I truly was. Life is
rough; she isn’t kind. But God is kind and his “mercies endure forever”. It was
time for me to enjoy the goodness of my God.
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.”~Isaiah 61:10~
I didn’t want to live
without joy. I decided that I couldn’t miss out on the ride and remounted.
