Looking the Gift Horse in the Mouth

Scripture Verses that caught my attention today: James 5:10-11 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Observation: Sometimes we think of those who are blessed (and sometimes Scripture does too) as those who have either an abundance of possessions or good health or really good relationships or work or the like. But James points out that those who have shown endurance (primarily in the form of enduring struggles) are also blessed.

Application: Long story short, last evening I was bucked off of a horse. We had just picked her up the night before for the kids. We put the saddle on and I led her around in the lot with our son riding. That went fine and, since the horse had been a 4-H horse, I mistakenly had a little too much confidence in her. But we stayed in the lot so that, if something happened, she couldn’t get away. Well, he then tried to get her to move on her own but she didn’t do so right away and he was a little sheepish. So he asked if I could ride her, to which I readily agreed. It would have been wiser to have him lead me with her first. Just as importantly, since we were in a relatively narrow space in the lot, we would have been better served to go out in the field. Anyway, when I got on she inadvertently backed up a few steps and into the electric fence. Not good! I remember one or two rear-ups and bucks and then I went flying. I got back up pretty quickly but knew I was hurting and the problem was that the main source of the problem was my neck. I could care less about bruises or even a broken bone or two, but I know that neck/back/head injuries are nothing to mess around with. While my son got the saddle off and put necessary things away I walked the 1/3 mile lane back to the house where my wife was and we decided we’d better go to the ER and check things out. Got back around 2:00 a.m. but the very, very, good news is that the cat scan came out ok. Bad news, which isn’t all that bad, is that my neck is naturally very sore and stiff. I’ve also still got a tingling sensation (sort of like when your arm’s asleep) in my right arm that culminates in my fingers. The doc thinks that my go away when the swelling in the neck subsides, though there’s no guarantee. Thankfully I do seem to have good dexterity in those fingers. And though not a source of concern, I do have a few other minor lacerations on my head/face, and arm, and leg plus a bit of a headache.

Through all of this I had three big concerns. First and foremost I was concerned for our son. Should there have been some permanent damage or something (which at least at this point we don’t anticipate), I was really concerned that he might feel guilty or responsible. So I wanted to reassure him that if it was anyone’s fault it was my fault for not taking more precautions. Second, if things did turn out badly, I wanted to gear up to try to be a good witness for our children. To take whatever came my way in stride. I had my own fears of course. I’ve seen enough stories of people who get right back up from an accident and a day later find themselves paralyzed. If that were somehow to be the case, I didn’t want our children to somehow think that was the end of my rope. I wasn’t exactly sure how I would do that, but I was determined that the Lord would provide a way. Third, and of least importance but still ever before me, I was REALLY ticked off at myself for not using better judgment because I think I should have known better. And, of course, I wish I could have gotten right back on the horse because now she knows she can buck someone off and maybe not have them get back on again. But prudence dictates that I probably won’t be back on her any time soon.

Today’s verses from James serve as a reminder that being blessed sometimes includes going through some form of suffering. We give thanks for people who have shown us how to go through difficult times. None of us wants such difficult times, and it’s only natural to try to avoid them if we can. But if they cannot be avoided, if we are forced to confront them head-on, well then let’s do it! Let’s face the reality of the given situation and trust our Lord to help us somehow make the best of it.

Of course that’s much easier said than done. But if I’m ever faced with such circumstances, I’m eternally grateful for those “blessed” ones of the past who may well have shown me the way.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thanks, of course, for the hopefully happy ending to this story. But thanks even more so for giving me a trust in you that is not dependent on a happy ending. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: 2 Kings 18-19, 2 Chronicles 32, and James 5)