"Horseman"

Once there was a horseman,

Who knew the bottom line,

On taking a wild pony,

And help him turn out fine.

It wasn’t cookie cutter,

Or one-size-fits-all technique,

But more of a relationship,

That made it so unique.

The thing about the horses,

Is that each learned differently,

As he built their trust up,

It took some time, you see.

Some had suffered problems,

From those who didn’t know,

The best way to gentle horses,

Is to take things extra slow.

And most when they discovered,

That he would not surprise,

Them with something painful,

Their fear within them dies.

Replaced by quiet confidence,

The peace with him they feel,

And as the bond develops,

The changes are unreal.

It seems they want to please him,

When he asks them to,

And when it’s time for him to ride,

It’s no big deal, it’s true.

So earring down a young horse,

Then forking, rake a spur,

And quirt till he stops bucking,

Their wildness might deter.

But maybe reconsider,

A slower, better way,

Of one old quiet horseman,

And hear what he might say.

And one more thing I’ll counsel,

If you have ears to hear,

That God works like a horseman,

And lets us know He’s near.

With patience and firm kindness,

To us His ways will show,

So that we trust completely,

What He wants us to know.

“For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share His holiness.” (Hebrews 12:10, NLT)

Like the horseman or our parents, discipline is necessary for productivity. When a young horse receives discipline he is afraid of it because he’s uncomfortable. But once he finds out that the horseman is not going to hurt him, he accepts what is happening. When we were disciplined by our parents as children, we did not like it. But looking back on it, we are thankful we had parents that loved us enough to give us boundaries. We see the destructive results of those who didn’t have this blessing, and it makes us appreciate it even more. Our relationship with God is no different. God is committed to helping us change and become more like Jesus. He is willing to make us uncomfortable in order to transform our lives. It might be painful at first, but later we are thankful for the results.

Lord, help us embrace Your discipline in our lives, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.