A Greater Tragedy
by Robin Tyler
My genetic coding includes a love for horses. Growing up dad worked 2 and 3 jobs at times to provide us horses, and purchase feed for the four legged beast that took up residency in our pasture.
Dad was known to go to the killer pen (where horses went prior to being made into soap or glue) and purchase horses for $25. He would spend time ‘breaking’ them, and selling them for a profit.
The $25 horses, as well as other questionable beast, flowed through as dad was on the lookout for a ‘diamond in the rough’. My brother and I were his protege’s, and we didn’t even know it, on dad’s quest to find diamonds. My brother and I would be given the chore of riding these fabulous $25 horses.
My husband, Tim, seems to think ‘Kids have rubber bones’. I suppose this was my dad’s philosophy also. The slaughter pen horses were not well bred horses arriving with good manners. Many were very rank. Those were the ones my brother got to ride. The mild mannered horses dad set aside for me. Being a girl, my rubber bones were not tested as much as my brothers.
To start the $25 horses, Dad would take the horse’s nose we were on and pull it up tight near the saddle horn of the horse he was riding. He would wrap the lead rope around the saddle horn. It was relatively safe. Off we would go.
In dad’s speculating for a diamond horse we came to know one rule, ‘If the tragedy occurred we got bucked off, we were required to get back on’. It was never a question of whether we wanted to or not, it was understood that is what we did. Daddy was there if we came off, helped dust us off, and of course help us back on. All we really wanted to do was to ride down by the creek and play with our friends.
Neither my brother nor I were ever seriously hurt, physically anyway, but our pride always took a licking. It was a tragedy to get bucked off. It would have been a greater tragedy to not get back on. So, give us a minute to knock the dust off, and nurse our pride, because we were getting back on. We were only putting in our time, until we could head to the creek.
Our ride in this life can certainly give us plenty of opportunities to knock the dirt off, and nurse our pride. There are days filled with events so foul our toenails curl from the stench rising from it. There are also days so mild people probably think we bathe in milk. No matter if you are currently in the midst of a rank day or a mild day, as a believer we have all been bucked off a time or two, or perhaps many. Whatever life looks like right now for you, God sees you there.
As believers we set out to make a difference in people’s lives, by God’s calling (Eph 2:10 NIV - For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.). Somehow we find ourselves on the ground. Events came at us hard and fast. There were twist and turns not expected. We felt we couldn’t hold on any longer and off we went. Down we fell. Perhaps we got kicked and stomped exiting our ride. Bruised and hurt is where we find ourselves. It’s a tragedy.
Stay down the pain is too much. Stay down and stay low maybe no one will notice. Stay down, yes lower. Stay down. Rest. Quit.
It is a battle (Eph 6:12 NIV - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.).
What a tragedy to find ourselves down. What a greater tragedy it would be to stay down.
We are indeed on our way to the ‘Creek’ to be with our friends (Rev 22:1-5 NIV - Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.).
As Jesus is preparing this place for us, if you have been bucked off by events in life consider climbing back on. The ‘ride’ itself is a joyous event. We do not ride in this life alone. We get to ride double. We have One who is closer than a brother riding with us and He never gets off (Pro. 18:24 NIV .... but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.). He is the Faithful One (1 Cor. 1:9 NIV - God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.). God is there when we are down. He helps dust us off, and of course, helps us get back on.
It is many times those stinking fiery darts sent by the evil one we have to watch out for. (Eph 6:16 NIV - ...take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.). It is the evil one’s desire to steal, kill and destroy. He tries to throw us off balance in the life we are called us to live. The Faithful One can and will snuff out and douse whatever the evil one throws at us, as we trust Him to fight our battles.
The chaos, confusion and damage caused by those fiery darts, and other things, can make us want to stay down, rest, and quit. It would be a great tragedy to quit.
Consider getting back on. Stay on. God will help us. Keep going. Don’t quit. May all who come behind us find us riding with the Faithful One. After all, we are on our way to the ‘Creek’ to be with our friends.
Prayer: Father, when I am down, thank you for being faithful.
