Around May 2020 I closed my back door behind me, walked with anticipation and deep breaths out to my barn, passed through the creeping green gate, and stepped onto the concrete floor hearing my boots clomp on the ground and crunch the dirt underneath the hard rubber soles. Rosie stepped up from the dirt outside, blew her nose and looked eagerly towards me with ears firmly facing my direction. I am certain she was hoping for her grain cocktail we make for her twice a day, but that day, instead of grain, I opened the bin to the horse cookies and walked closer to her with halter in hand. After gently shimmying the halter over her nose and tying the knot of her black rope halter, I hooked her up to the cross ties and began to groom her. In my usual grooming conversations with Rosie we will talk about a number of things… well… usually I do the talking and she tends to be the one who listens. She is the best listener. The more I share my heart with her the more I relax. The more vulnerable I become, the safer she feels. This is one of my favorite things about horses. They can handle anything you share with them. Their only contingency is that it must be the truth. As I continued my honest conversation with her, I shared how I had wished that she had a bigger pasture to run in. Four years ago, when we moved from Colorado to Texas, Rosie went from an 80 acre pasture to a 1/2 acre pasture. I could feel the tension that this put in her body each time I would ride. It absolutely broke my heart. I wanted nothing more than for her to feel like herself again. Rosie is a tall, leggy thoroughbred mare. For those that do not know, thoroughbreds are bred for racing. They are bred for running, utilizing their athletic physique to cover ground at a tremendous rate. I could feel my gut for the last 4 years feel guilty for not being able to provide Rosie with the space she desired. And I knew that if there was any chance of us moving forward without the tension in her body, she was going to need the space to be who God created her to be. So… I did something that I had never done before. I asked Rosie to pray. Now. Before you start cocking your head to the side wondering about my theology, hear me out. God made this beautiful animal. And He loves her deeply. He knows what she needs. And He knows what will make her live how He intended her to live. So, with brushes in hand, I began to pray with Rosie for a pasture. A place where she could run and play and live up to all God had for her. Little did I know that 2020 was going to be the year that God was going to come through for Rosie. A few short months later, on November 23rd, I got to release Rosie onto our new 12 acre pasture and watching her run was a sight to behold. Rosie was FREE. She ran with reckless abandon. Galloping with all four legs grabbing ground with ferocity and the muscles all over her body rippling with the concussion of her hooves hitting the ground followed by her legs suspending in mid air with each stride. This was an answer to our prayer in the barn in May. That Rosie would be released to be fully herself forever. God is a God of promises fulfilled. Praise and glory is his forever!
I can only imagine how difficult the move from Colorado to Conroe Texas was. But I also love being reminded that God fulfills His promises. So happy for all of you for His gift of more room and freedom as He grows your ministry.