January 16, 2010 at 03:35
Stray Horse to be Auctioned
It’s a blustery Saturday morning in January and I just opened an email from a horse rescue group that tugged on my heart. It read:
URGENT!
A gentle gray mare approximately 20 years old was picked up as a stray last week in Three Forks, Montana and will now be auctioned off on Monday, Jan. 18, 2010 at 12:00 pm.
Horse advocate Joan Stanley can bid on her and pick her up, but this sweet mare needs a new forever home. (photo attached)
I knew that because of the economy a lot of horse owners, who couldn’t afford to feed their stock, were turning them loose. My mind reeled ... If auctioned off; her prospects aren’t good as a 20 year old. She’ll probably be shipped to Canada and slaughtered. But my pasture is full. As I whispered a prayer, the Holy Spirit tugged on my heart and said, “There are people all around you who are lost and have no spiritual home; some have lost their jobs and have no physical home either. Feel compassion towards them, like you do towards this horse. Feed My sheep.”
Tears leaked out the corner of my eyes as I asked, “Lord, what does that look like?”
And He responded, “It might be as simple as a smile, or buying an elderly person’s groceries. Or it might be as complex as befriending a person who society has cast aside as a lost cause. I want you to shine My love into the world around you.”
So I’m taking up His challenge and going into “my world” and look for opportunities to touch people’s heart with a smile and whatever God leads me to do. And my parting words will be, “Jesus asked me to do this for you.”
If every one of us does this, what would the world look like? Will you join me?
Rebecca
PS It’s Saturday at 1:39 pm and I just found out that the horse has a new home—God is so Awesome!
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December 31, 2009 at 12:04
Smooth Sailing?
Happy New Year!
When I was a child I thought I'd be ancient in the year 2000. So what does that make me in 2010?
Will 2010 be Smooth Sailing? or Will We have an Adventure?
Tonight I saw a photo of a sailboat, peacefully bobbing in calm water, with the sails down, and wondered, What distant shores has it seen? Has it weathered storms? Been dashed against the rocks? Or been in a race? This next year will it continue to stay in the safety of the bay?
It reminds me of our lives. Only we can decide to unfurl the sails and head out into the unknown. The sailing might be smooth, and that'd be delightful. But after a while the blue-sky, sunny days and flat horizon would become monotonous.
Have you ever noticed that most adventures don't happen in the safety of the calm bay where the sailing is smooth? They're out in the middle of the ocean with big black clouds billowing overhead and lightening striking all around you. Best of all, when you get back to shore you are revived. Adventures do something for our spirit. They add sparkle to our lives and put a spring into our step. Adventures sharpen our prayer lives and show us how big God really is.
So for this next year I pray that you unfurl your sails and launch out into the deep--for an adventure of a lifetime!
May the Lord surround you with His blessings in 2010,
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October 09, 2009 at 08:08
Czar's blanket
While I was in the barn last night, after feeding the horses, I scooped up Czar's blanket into my arms to take back into the house. But when I walked out of the barn something scratched inside of me, saying, "Put the blanket on Czar."
Czar's my 29 1/2 year old bay gelding, who I bought when he was a month old. Winters have always been hard on him--especially the last few. In blustery weather he gets hypothermia without a blanket. And the little farm house I lease, only has a barn big enough for the hay, not the horses.
I looked up at the gray clouds. They seemed still. I scanned the horizon and no storms were boiling over the mountain peaks. Something tugged at my spirit again, so I shrugged my shoulders and slipped the blanket on Czar, who seemed to roll his eyes as if to say, “But Mom—it’s still nice outside.”
The wind was howling this morning when I woke up. I opened the door to let Sunrise outside and a blast of snow blew in. A full-blown blizzard was assaulting our little mountain valley! Who would have thought in October that we’d have a January blizzard?
Tears came to my eyes as I thought, “Thank you God for telling me to blanket Czar!” Then I was humbled as I meditated about how much God cares for us and our animals. Best of all, God makes the relationship with Him so simple, just listen and follow then He’ll lead me to green pastures.
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