A Horse With No Shame

"The Lord watches over everyone who obeys him, and he listens to their prayers.” – 1 Peter 3:12

Just up the road from our home is a field, where two beautiful horses roam.  From a distance, each looks perfectly normal.  But when you stop to visit, you’ll notice that one of the horses – Donald, is blind. 

Plenty of people would tell you to put him down.  They’d say that horses can’t have a good quality of life if they’re blind.  Bud, his owner disagreed.  Going blind must be frightening.   But a blind horse can still savor a scoop of grain, try to take a treat out of your pocket, and whinny at the sound of human footsteps.  They want to do everything a sighted horse can do (except unlatch gates!) and enjoy it just as much.

Bud took special care in this pasture, replacing barbed wire with smooth wire fencing, cutting down low-hanging tree limbs, and filling in holes with gravel that a hoof could slip into.  He even signaled the presence of telephone poles by placing old tires around their bases.

But he did one more thing.  If you're nearby and listening, you’ll hear the sound of a bell.  Looking around for its source, you’ll see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field – namely Daisy.  Attached to her halter is a small bell.  It lets Donald, her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.

As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see how Daisy is always checking on him, and that Donald will listen for her bell and then slowly walk toward her, trusting that she’ll not lead him astray.  When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, Daisy stops occasionally and looks back, making sure Donald isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owner of these two magnificent creatures, God doesn’t throw us away just because we aren’t perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.  How cool is that?

He constantly recycles things that others might find useless.  God didn’t discard Adam and Eve for their unfaithfulness, or Noah or Abraham or Moses or any of the prophets.  He didn’t discard Peter after his denial, or the Sons of Thunder for their ambition.

Sometimes we are like Donald - being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives to assist us.  Other times we are like Daisy, the guide horse, helping others see.  Good friends are like this.  You may not always see them, but you know they are always there.

Lord, Your patience and love towards us is unbelievable!  We praise you for clinging to us, remaking us, and shaping us into persons that can bring honor to You.  Thank you for not dumping us because of our imperfections.  Amen.