A Horse Leads the Way.....
The trail of a single horse…..
A trail of discovery awaited me on a warm day about two years ago as I stepped towards the the gate to the pasture. When we first moved to the property, the pasture was separated from the house/barn area by a creek and lowlands, which also cut off the hill from the rest of the pasture. One day, I put on my boots and my fly net and went out to explore the pasture, determined to see if I could make my way through the cattails to reach the hill on the other side. Although slightly visible from the house, it was an area cut off from the rest of the pasture, and of which I had only received a brief glimpse when I went to check fence one day at dusk before moving horses to the property.
The horses, not wanting to walk through the water and mud, had remained on the road side of the pasture. I was hoping to find a way to cross over to provide them with fresh grass. The bugs were profuse that day, and I laughed at them from behind my bug net, delighted that they could not reach me. As I tread my way through the wet areas, briefly losing my boot in the process and almost face planting into the mud, I suddenly found a horse trail, which appeared to be made by a single horse. Following that small trail, I reached solid ground, and, for the first time, my feet rested on the other side of the pasture. I was both jubilant and in awe of the beauty before me.
I thought about how the horses had been containing themselves to a small area of land rather than venturing through the water and mud to the other side. There were acres of lush greenery, of which they were not aware. And as I considered this, it occurred to me that I, too, have a tendency to constrain myself to what is familiar - to remain within my comfort zone - rather than pushing through discomfort and venturing out into the unknown but good plans God has waiting for me. Scripture came to mind about the Israelites and the promised land - God had so much for them, and yet, they refused to trust Him enough to pass through the river into their Land of Blessing. As I reflected on these things, I renewed my desire to follow the Lord, regardless of where He leads.
Which horse made the journey to the other side? It appeared that it was Mel, as evidenced by being the only horse with mud on her legs. I found it interesting that she, although least assertive within the herd, was the adventurous one!