When Heather heard another door shut, she guessed David had hidden in the closet. His mournful wails pierced Heather’s heart and tears welled up in her eyes. Lord, how can I help this hurting little boy?
Heather and her husband, Josh, had been foster parents for 10 years. When their last daughter graduated high school, they decided to quit fostering. By a fluke encounter, a local foster care and adoption agency found out about their experience and begged them to consider doing it again. After replying to the many phone calls with firm no’s, they prayed about it again. They felt led to become recertified.
Shortly after that, the agency called about a little boy who needed an interim home while they searched for a permanent place. Heather replied, “I’ll talk it over with my husband.”
The man at the agency, Matt, said, “This little boy is nine years old. His name is David.”
Heather rested her head on her hand. Oh, you shouldn’t have said his name, she thought. Now he’s not just an anonymous kid; he has a name.
Matt explained that for a year the boy had been in a home that planned on adopting him, but the father had hit the child. “Would you take him for a couple of weeks?”
Heather shocked herself when she said yes. That evening she greeted Josh with the story and the news that Matt would be bringing the boy over the next day. Josh felt peace in his heart about the decision too.
It was a balmy Saturday morning in February when a gray car pulled into Josh and Heather’s driveway. The sun glinted off the snowcapped Rocky Mountain peaks that towered over their pasture. They were in the corrals brushing the horses.
Matt unwound his six-foot, five-inch frame from the car. Weighing in around 265 pounds, he resembled a gentle giant. David scrambled out of the car and instantly hid his scrawny, 42-pound body behind one of Matt’s legs.
Heather and Josh walked over, and while they greeted each other, Heather watched the wild-eyed child peek his head around Matt’s leg. The boy’s wide eyes showed he was terrified.
They all moved into the kitchen. As the adults chatted around the kitchen table, the boy sat and clutched his backpack. He was so thin that his brown eyes appeared sunken and were rimmed with dark circles. His elbows looked like knobs that protruded from his arms.
When Matt stood up to leave, David grabbed onto his legs. Matt gently pried the child’s arms loose and set him in the chair. Bending over, he looked into David’s eyes and said, “You have to stay.”
David shook his head and wailed, “No!” He kept clinging to Matt, and Matt patiently continued to set the boy in the chair.
After Matt went out the door, got into his car, and drove away, David hugged his backpack and announced, “I’m not staying. I’m going home pretty soon.”
When the boy went to bed the first few nights, he refused to climb under the covers. He wasn’t going to settle in. He was barely willing to open his backpack, which contained some clothes and a cherished Green Bay Packers fleece blanket. During the daytime, David would fly into fits of rage over what seemed to be nothing.
The only things he showed an interest in were the horses. Every three to four hours when Heather would go out to check on their pregnant mare, she’d bundle up David. He’d go along but stood off to the side and watched. He wasn’t going to get attached.
David kept telling Josh and Heather that he was going to be adopted by the other family and that he was going home soon.
Two weeks later the agency did take him back to his previous foster home. When they arrived, all his possessions had been packed in cardboard boxes and put out on the front porch. After loading the boxes in the car, Matt returned David to Josh and Heather’s home.
That’s when David had announced he was a throwaway kid and ran sobbing to his room. That was the day the nine-year-old boy knew he was homeless once again.
The painful cries cut through Heather’s spirit. She rushed into David’s bedroom and opened his closet door. The child lay on the floor curled in the fetal position. Tears streamed down Heather’s face as she scooped up his bony body and clutched him to her chest. “Honey, you are home.”
David struggled and screamed, “I’m not home! I’m a throwaway kid. Nobody wants me!”
Heather held him tightly. “You’ve come home. You’re not going anywhere.”
When Josh got home from work, Heather was still sitting on the bed rocking the crying boy in her arms. After sharing what had happened, Josh wrapped his arms around David and Heather. From that moment on, Josh and Heather knew David would be part of their family forever. They had no idea how God would mend the little boy’s broken heart, but they knew He was the only One who could.
The next month the child raged, and it took hours to console him. Josh and Heather noticed that when they’d take David to the barn, he’d gravitate toward the pregnant mare. One day while feeding the other horses, they saw him walk over to the bay.
As soon as he got close, the mare dropped her head and nuzzled his tummy with her lips. Tentatively David touched her head and ears. The mare stood quietly. The little boy traced the white star on her forehead. His hands drifted down her cheeks. He drew her face next to his and kissed her soft muzzle. Wrapping his arms around her head, he hugged her. From that point on he loved on the mare daily. Usually the mare would wiggle her lips in pleasure.
A couple of weeks before the colt was due, Josh placed David’s hand on the mare’s tummy. When the colt kicked David felt it. Wide-eyed, he exclaimed, “What is that?”
Josh grinned. “A baby.”
From that moment on, David couldn’t wait for the foal to be born.
On a rainy April night, Heather donned her green Carhartt jacket and grabbed a flashlight to head out the door to check on the mare. Because it was a school night, she wanted David to sleep. Her boots slurped through the mud as she strode into the pole corral and flashed the beam over the horses. She shone it on the mare. One of the colt’s hooves was already protruding! The baby was on its way.
Heather ran back into the house and woke up Josh and David. The three of them sloshed through the rain to the pole corral. They moved the mare into the foaling stall and flipped on the lights.
The horse walked in a circle and then lay down in the straw. Sweat broke out around her ears. She grunted and pushed. One of the colt’s feet poked out again. David crawled next to the mare and scooped her head into his lap. As the mare groaned and shifted in pain, the alarmed David asked, “Does it hurt? Is it going to hurt her?”
Heather nodded. “Yes, she’s hurting. But she’ll be okay. This is how babies are born.”
David cradled the mare’s head, stroked her face, and patted her cheeks.
The mare heaved, and a little nose and foot showed. It looked like the other foot was stuck, which prevented the colt from coming all the way out. Between contractions, Josh reached in and grabbed the second foot. The baby swooshed out, and blood and amniotic fluid flooded the floor. The pungent smell of afterbirth hung in the air.
David’s face contorted. “Gross! Oh gross!”
The gray amniotic sac lay like a sheet over the baby. David stared at the gray blob. He scrunched up his nose. “Oh that’s icky.” Suddenly he saw the colt inside flip an ear. The boy’s eyes grew round. He jumped up and pointed. “Look! Look! Look!”
The colt shook its head and the amniotic sac settled around its shoulders.
David screamed, “It’s a baby!” A smile spread across his face as he touched the colt’s dainty ears and gently stroked its face. He hugged the colt getting the bloody, stinky slime all over himself, but he didn’t seem to mind.
The mare lurched to her feet and nickered to the wet colt. The baby whickered in return.
While the mare licked the brown colt with a black mane and tail, Heather showed David how to rub him dry with towels. Enthralled, he watched the baby learn to use its stilt-like legs and slurp milk. A few drops dripped down the baby’s curly whiskers and dribbled to the ground.
Before they headed ba
ck to bed, Heather asked, “Well, David, what do you want to call this baby?”
David’s eye sparkled. He was thrilled that he was given the important job of choosing the name. Very seriously he raised his chin. “He looks like a Snickers candy bar. I want to call him Snickers.”
Over the next month David nurtured the colt. Josh and Heather would look out the window and see Snickers and David romping through the pasture like a couple of puppies. If David disappeared, Heather usually found him out in the pasture sleeping soundly in the grass next to a napping Snickers. Heather knew God had used the colt to perform a miracle and mend the child’s heart. David’s emotions were healing. By giving his love to the mare and then to Snickers, David’s heart was softened. Slowly he cracked it open and let Josh and Heather in.
• Snickers today •
Years ago when I met David, I never would have guessed that the outgoing teenager had once been a hurting and withdrawn little boy. When Josh and Heather shared his story with me, I was stunned. Only God and His amazing love could have set up this situation. He chose Josh and Heather because He knew they’d be willing to love a child that so many had rejected. God orchestrated the circumstances so the agency would contact Heather and Josh. The Lord inspired them to get recertified as foster parents. And He had a hand in the mare getting pregnant and giving birth at the perfect moment in time so David’s heart would soften and he could give and receive love.
The greatest example of the circle of love is demonstrated in the greatest love story of all—when God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins and restore our ability to have an intimate relationship with Him. Jesus said, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Matthew 22:37-39). When we take our eyes off ourselves and love God, and then we share His love with others, we complete the circle of love. That’s when our hearts heal and God creates beautiful things, including forever families.
Lord, show me how I can help complete the circle of love in my situation. Amen.
• Thoughts to Ponder •
Has your heart been shattered? Have you been hurt so deeply that you don’t know if you’ll ever recover? Ask God to reveal His love for you. When you understand how much He cares for you, ask Him for opportunities to share His love with others.
36
THE OL’ PLUG NAMED TORNADO
Patience
Late 1940s, outside Valley St. Claire, Saskatchewan, Canada
The prairie glistened, carpeted by millions of glittering snowflakes. The metal runners on the one-horse sleigh cut through the snow with a hissing sound. Steam flowed from the gray horse’s nostrils as he drew the sleigh. The workhorse had been named Tornado by someone with a sense of humor. He was far from being a tornado. Although he was only 15 years old, he acted like an ol’ plug. His nature, though, was more like an angel disguised as a horse.
The wind swept up snowflakes and dusted them over the passel of young children who sat in the back of the sleigh giggling and goofing off. The flakes stuck to their eyelashes and the scarves wrapped over their noses. Wearing a French-Canadian cap, their father sat on the front seat bundled up in warm clothes and wrapped in a blanket. He drove his children to the old country schoolhouse on the days when the weather was nasty, which was most of the time.
Louise was one of those children, most of whom were only a year apart. With four sisters and seven brothers, she fondly remembers their jaunts to school. Early in the morning her folks would heat up rocks on the old, wood cookstove in the kitchen. Her dad would harness Tornado and hook up the sleigh, while her mom would bundle up the children in mittens, scarves, and hats that she’d knitted. Many nights after the children were tucked into bed, Louise remembers falling asleep to the clattering of her mother’s knitting needles by the flickering light of the kerosene lamp.
By the time Louise’s mom pulled a “toque” over the smallest child’s head, she’d be shooing her clutch out the door and waving them into the waiting sleigh. The ol’ gray gelding would turn his head and peek from behind his blinders while the children were packed in the back. Hot rocks were placed at their feet and blankets were wrapped around their shoulders.
What happens when you stuff eight or nine little kids in the back of a sleigh? Surely they don’t sit still! As soon as Tornado’s hooves squeaked through the snow and the sleigh drew forward, the children bantered among themselves. The blankets fell from their shoulders as they laughed and nudged each other. Pretty soon they would be rough-housing. Moments later, one of the little stinkers would get mad and shove another one out of the sleigh. A scream would pierce the air.
Immediately ol’ faithful would stop. He didn’t even wait for the father to pull back on the reins. Tornado had learned that a scream meant one of his passengers was lying in the snow. He’d stop and slowly turn his head. Like a man looking over his reading glasses, he’d peek around his blinders. His wise, brown eyes would watch the child scramble to his or her feet and vault back into the sleigh. The horse wouldn’t take a step forward until the child was settled in. Then the old guy would lean forward and the sleigh runners would once again hiss as they cut through the snow.
• Tornado, Louise, and a friend •
Last fall Louise’s eyes twinkled as she sat across the dinner table from me and shared stories about Tornado. None of the children ever got hurt when they fell out of the sleigh, and she didn’t know how the horse put up with their shenanigans.
I chuckled and immediately a silly image formed in my mind. I pictured God rounding His children up in His sleigh. When we stay in the sleigh it’s like when we’re doing His will. But when we focus on other things, we fall out of the sleigh. Being human, we tend to make life more complex by bantering with God and each other until someone falls out or is even pushed out.
A great example of this is found in the book of Exodus. Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave so he decided to intervene. He ended up killing the Egyptian. Knowing it was wrong, he hid the body in the sand and hoped no one would notice. The plan backfired because some people had seen the murder. Moses escaped to another country to save his life (Exodus 2).
Instead of Moses asking God what His plans were and then getting involved with that, the Hebrew took matters into his own hands. He fell out of the sleigh. Later he climbed back into the sleigh, and God used him mightily to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.
When I reflect on my life, I see times when I’ve done something that caused me to fall out of the sleigh, I’m comforted by one of the greatest attributes of God—His patience! He patiently watches, and when I’m ready, He immediately stops the sleigh and invites me to climb back in. All I have to do is acknowledge why or where I fell, let Him know I’m sorry, and accept His forgiveness. Then I can settle back in for the heavenly sleigh ride.
God isn’t looking for perfection. The only perfect person who walked planet Earth was Jesus. God is looking for willing hearts—people who will admit when they’re wrong and then change their ways. People willing to ask for forgiveness and then jump back into the sleigh to give it another go.
God is love. And “love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4).
Help me understand, Lord, the depth of Your patience and Your love so that I will always have the courage to turn to You and climb back into Your sleigh. Amen.
• Thoughts to Ponder •
Have you fallen out of the sleigh? Have you gotten back in yet? If not, what do you need to do to climb back in? How can you stay in the sleigh?
37
UNITY
Heart-Centered Relationships
Pat adjusted the headset for his microphone. Sweat trickled down his neck, and he took a deep breath. The sun was high overhead, and the Missouri air was sticky and humid. He stood in the round pen next to Evangelist and Prophet, his two black-and-white paint horses. The pen was set u
p next to a large circus canopy on the lawn of a country church. People milled around the grounds enjoying the Children’s Fair.
Kids raced across green grass, chasing each other and screaming. Pat smiled as he watched the crowd move toward him. Some adults carried lawn chairs, while others gathered by the corral rails. As they settled in, he clicked on his microphone. “I’d like to thank everyone for coming out, and I want to thank the Lord for such a beautiful day.”
The crowd quieted down, and all eyes were on Pat and his horses.
“I use horses to teach biblical principles. Today we’re going to discuss the principle of unity and teamwork and how it applies to our personal lives as well as to the church.” He knew the little community was suffering difficulties and many people were at odds with each other. That’s one reason why he was here. Would his message make a positive impact?
Pat had lived the first few years of his life on a dairy ranch. Animals fascinated him. Although his family eventually moved to town, he never lost his love for animals. As a child he would curl up and read books about circus trainers and their training methods. Later he worked alongside horse trainers and became the assistant manager of a large breeding facility.
He became restless and dove into the rodeo world. He rode bulls and broncs—bareback and saddle. Then he made a decision to follow Christ. Although he attended church, he felt more like he was playing at it. He struggled with the concept of giving Christ free rein or lordship over his life. He’d received head knowledge about Christ, but his heart hadn’t changed. He didn’t have a personal relationship with Him.
Trying to fill the void, he set out to help others. He became a rodeo clown. He kept the cowboys safe after their rides on bulls and broncs. He inspired laughter in the crowds. The years rolled past, and the emptiness in his life became a deep crevasse filled with the skeletons of broken relationships and unhealthy behavior patterns.
Great Horse Stories Page 16