In the summer of 2008 I accompanied a very close friend of mine (Kayla) to the stable where she keeps her horse. I ride as well, but at a different farm. However, I used to attend her stable, so I knew many of the people and horses there.

My friend is a very very good rider. She does super well at local and rated shows. She was riding a horse for the owner of the farm because the owner (Sue) wanted to sell him. Kayla was demonstrating the various abilities the horse had. It was very important to Sue that the prospective buyers knew exactly what they were getting. Dewey (the above mentioned horse) was not known to be particularly energetic or fast, but that day he was zipping around the ring at a very smooth and un-Dewey-like gait.

To get Dewey to be so enthusiastic in the first place, Kayla was holding a crop. A crop is like a small, unbendable whip. When used correctly, it is a very effective tool for riding. Kayla knows how to use her tools correctly. Dewey knew she was holding the crop, so he automatically picked it up.

Sue noticed the difference and made Kayla continue to canter around and around the ring. She wanted no discrepancies during the potential sale. Neither Sue, Kayla, nor I knew what could be making him move so much differently. Eventually Kayla dropped the crop and Dewey returned to his normal, slow, lazy self.

This is irrelevant to my point, but unfortunately Dewey went lame right before the potential buyers could see him. All that work.


I think God gives us encouragement. Like a crop: a tool that God uses, whether it's a person, event, impulse, or idea.We get excited and we perform to our best ability. We are built to move smoothly. I believe that. But sometimes, nope, all the time, things like laziness, unmotivatedness, and pretty much anything else get in our way. And lots of times these things are brought on by ourselves. It is much easier to work the way you are meant to when a friend is encouraging you, or working beside you.

Dewey lost his encouragement. We do too sometimes. But you can get it back. God readily gives us everything we need. It's never his fault if we don't receive it. If you can't find your encouragement on earth, well, it's not like you've looked too many places.