My sister Kathy knows how to handle horses. She's never met a horse she didn't love. I'm especially thinking of old Shotgun -- I don't know why he was called that; he certainly wasn't fast or unruly as the name suggests. Shotgun was the most docile horse on our farm. I remember how funny it was that his bangs- you know the mane on his forehead? It was thick and it hung over his eyes, making him look like he was always half asleep. Shotgun was a horse who loved Kathy.
I'll never forget the time when he got caught in barbed wire and he ripped open part of his shoulder. With soap and water and antiseptic, Kathy nursed him with tender loving care. When the wound started to heal, my sister had to put around his neck what we call a crib – it's like a stiff long neck collar intended to keep Shotgun from itching and biting at the scab on his shoulder. It's big and bulky and very awkward to put on an animal.
I tell you, that was one pitiful horse. The crib around his long throat made it very difficult for him to eat grass in the pasture, and it was almost impossible for him to run. He looked so uncomfortable, always shaking his head, but the crib was necessary for the wound to heal from the inside and out.
The thing that amazed me was the way that poor animal related to Kathy through all of this. He seemed to instinctively know that she was the one and only one who could do anything about his plight. So when she would pull up to the barn area, he'd lift his head – awkwardly I might add – he’d whinny, he’d run to greet her. If I were Shotgun, I think I would have run the other way. But not this horse. Even though she was the one that put that awful contraption on his neck, he chose her company. He followed her everywhere.
I guess that’s ’cause Kathy and her horse had developed a real relationship – they had spent time together, rode the trails together; for years she had brushed him, fed him, and took care of him. She loved him... and he respected her for that. Even with that nasty old crib-collar on his neck.
When the apostle Peter wrote his epistle, he was writing to Christians who were suffering. And in 1 Peter 4:19, he said, "If you suffer according to the will of God, commit yourself to your faithful Creator, and continue to do good." In other words, if you've got a crib collar around your neck – if hardship is biting into you – don’t drift away from him. Friend, the Lord and you have a relationship, remember? He is the one and only one who can do anything about your plight. So commit yourself to your faithful Creator – that means trusting him – and continue to do good – that means obeying him. Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy... oh, friend, and one day isn’t it good to know that the Lord Jesus is going to remove that crib collar from around your neck? And you will be happy! Oh, and I should add that even my sister’s horse, Shotgun, was happy too.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends