Last summer we were at a ranch in the middle of the Arizona desert surrounded by cactus and sand…a pure wasteland. The horses were kept in a huge area where there was room to run, and they were well cared for.
As the kids returned from their ride, an unbroken horse got out. He darted around in short jaunts, panicked, back and forth. The horse may have dreamed about this day, he was free to do what he wanted. He may have thought he wanted life outside of the gates, but he soon found this was not the life he thought it would be.
The cowboy types headed towards the horse and opened the fence wider, an invitation to come home. Once the horse could find the opening in the gate he ran in. He trusted the owners and although he may have dreamed about life with no boundaries, when he experienced that life, he longed to come home.
For a long time that’s what I thought God was up to. I thought He was putting fences around my life, demanding compliance, keeping me from the fun, when actually He set up those fences because He loves me. They were His whisper that the best life is right here.
When I started to believe that God knew better than I did, truly…to my core…that His way is the best way all the time no matter what, I started living in freedom. When the desire to be in charge was not my master, I started trusting God with my life…confident He has got it…because He does.
Like the unbroken horse, I longed to come home but I had to stop jumping back and forth over the fence, wavering between whether I was going to control my life or yield to my Master. When I did, I found the safety, security, and provision I was fighting for was always available to me, but I could have lived my whole life bucking and fighting for control, missing it entirely. When I gave up control, I found myself to be free.
HLLF,
