21 Jul, 2010
A Rocky Relationship
(Image courtesy of PAUL
RUHTER/Gazette Staff - billingsgazette.com)
Rocky
[Readers Digest] The chestnut gelding with one white sock and a blaze of white down his nose was a handful. Named Rocky, he sometimes gave even experienced riders trouble. His owner, Suanne Stenger, of Worden, Montana, described him as "hyper and bouncy out of the gate."
Stenger's five-year-old daughter, Bailee, was an unlikely match for the frisky Rocky. Diagnosed with epilepsy at age three, she routinely experienced dozens of seizures a day. Yet the girl had a passion for barrel racing, only natural in a family full of horse and rodeo people. (Her grandmother showed Appaloosas, her father had ridden bulls in high school, and her mother also ran barrels.)
When Bailee's horse Scooty became sick during a race one day, the little girl asked to ride Rocky. At first, her mother didn't like the idea. "I was afraid she might not be able to control him," Stenger says. But with Bailee in the saddle, Rocky became a different horse. He ran smoothly, responding to cues from his small rider. His restlessness subsided.
Bailee too was different. Over the following months, as she continued to ride Rocky, she had fewer seizures. Astride Rocky, she stayed calm.
So attuned were the horse and rider that each settled the other down, even in frightening circumstances. Once, while putting a bridle on Rocky, Bailee collapsed and began convulsing on the ground between the horse's two front legs. Some horses might have reared up or even stepped on the girl, but Rocky remained unruffled. In fact, he stood over Bailee like a sentry until Stenger arrived at her daughter's side.
In January 2007, Bailee underwent brain surgery to lessen her seizures. By Memorial Day weekend, she had improved so much that she wanted to ride Rocky at a race in Montana. The pair went on to win prizes two days in a row.
The bond between girl and horse grows stronger with each passing year. "He knows I'm little and can't take responsibility for stuff," says Bailee, now 12. "So he takes over, and we just go."
(Written by Gary Sledge - www.readersdigest.com)
Romans 8:6-9 (NIV)
6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about being controlled by the Spirit?
Like Rocky, there was a time when others could have, without hesitancy, described me as "restless." And, if I'm being most honest, there are still times when I feel anxious, unreliable, and as if my life is out of control. However, when I think back on those moments in my life when I let my anxieties and restlessness take over, they were times when I was not in tune with the Holy Spirit. The story of little Bailee gently leading Rocky and calming his restlessness with her quiet cues is such a beautiful illustration of how I believe God wants our relationship with Him to be. His Word promises us that when we submit to His control, God gives us life and we can finally experience the peace our hearts long for. As a result, during times when life seems really scary and threatening, we are able to stay calm, relax, and remain faithful.
Isaiah 26:3-4
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.
God is our Rock; His Spirit is the reins that guide us.
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
Take some time to think about who/what has been controlling you . . . your mind . . . your thoughts . . . your actions. Who's been sitting in your saddle? Have you been listening to the cues of the media? Allowing the nudges of your peers to lead you in a direction you weren't planning on heading? Or are you allowing the Holy Spirit to be in control? Our God is a God of peace and order. If your life is marked by chaos and your spirit is restless What do you need to do today to release the reins and surrender to the Spirit's leading? Pray and ask God to give you the courage and strength to overcome.
Memorize Isaiah 26:3-4.
May your relationship with God be like that of Rocky and little Bailee Stenger: The bond between girl and horse grows stronger with each passing year. And may you embrace a similar perspective: "He knows I'm little and can't take responsibility for stuff . . . So he takes over, and we just go."
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture, and our story to others?
Talk to your friends about the story of Bailee and Rocky. Use it to jumpstart a conversation about what things make them feel unsure, out of control, or restless. Challenge yourself to go first and be vulnerable by sharing about times when you've been in a similar place, then talk about how the Holy Spirit helped calm your mind by bringing you peace. Be honest about the nature of your struggle for control, allowing God to be glorified by the way He is or has redeemed you through His Spirit.
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