I remember a time in my childhood that was especially sweet to me! It was a time we lived in an old farm house in the country. The house, as I remember, was drafty and cold in the winter, so cold that most of the winter we spent in one room with an old wood burning stove. It was at this time I began to regard cocoa and toast as one of my favorite “meals“. Mom would toast the bread in an old cook stove oven while the, made from scratch, hot cocoa was warming. To this day, this unlikely treat warms my bones and my heart on a cold night.
The rest of the year my brothers and I roamed the pastures, creeks and the old barn. The hay loft was a special place that we could tunnel through the bails of hay to discover if the old cat had delivered her kittens yet or if some hen had made a nest to hatch her chicks.
I also had a special place that I went to pray down by the creek. I only knew to pray as if writing a letter: Dear God, please give me.....such and such or please save my little kitten or whatever came to the mind of a seven year old I, in childlike faith asked my Lord.
I most often prayed for a horse as I remember! I wanted a grand horse like I saw on TV! I imagined myself riding "Flicka" from the Saturday morning show "My Friend Flicka" or maybe Dale Evans' horse, a palomino named Buttermilk! I could imagine what people would say as I headed up the many parades I would be invited to ride in. I could see my beautiful steed with a fancy saddle and well groomed mane. I would wear a white cowgirl hat and boots to match my sparkly shirts. People would cheer as I road by waving!
One day after praying for my dream horse, I roamed around looking for something interesting near the creek. Eyes glued to the water I searched the little stream for pretty rocks or maybe an arrow head. Suddenly my excursion was interrupted by a sound that could only be a a a.......horse! After all I had heard that sound as Dale called Buttermilk over to eat an apple or a cube of sugar! There before my eyes was not one horse but at least ten of them! And they were all mine.....God had sent them! I had prayed for them and they were MINE! Thank you Dear God I prayed, as I ran toward my herd of horses! I could not take my eyes off them, there were paints, black ones and white ones and a beautiful palomino. Which one would I ride first, and what would I feed them and...and....! My dreams were interrupted by something I only noticed when I nearly ran into it! A fence! To my chagrin, they were the neighbors horses but for the rest of the summer they were mine all mine until I told my brothers of my find. As I think back, it's a wonder we weren't all killed as, in secrecy, we tried to ride bareback on those bucking, kicking and biting equine.
For a few moments I was a proud owner of not one but many horses, my prayers had been answered. I don’t remember ever being disappointed in God though I guess I could have been. I didn't get exactly what I wanted, but with my childlike faith I knew He had given me my dream horse! And actually, in that moment in my seven year old mind, I rode in parades, I taught, her tricks and I lived my the fantasy. I just knew that he heard my prayers and sent even more than I had asked!
It is amazing how God works! That's the closest I ever got to owning a horse but it was glorious! The memories of "My Horse" still warms my heart, but, more so, the distinct feeling that God cared about the prayers of a barefoot, dirty faced little girl with big dreams has never left me. Praise God!
I wish I had that kind of simple faith now as an adult. I wish instead of being disappointed that the Lord didn’t take away the disease, I could rejoice that he is giving me grace to handle it. Instead of instant healing, should I be disgruntled that I was lead to a good doctor who knew the answers? No less a miracle in my mind. I wish I could recognize, as I did then, his miracles and praise Him. Instead many times I stand looking for my “version” of that miracle and think he didn’t deliver!
Yep, for that summer, for that moment in time, I was the proud owner of not one horse but a herd of them. I could still sing “Happy Trails” as I think of it, even these many years later!
He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. Matthew 2-5
“Happy Trails to you until we meet again”!
No comments:
Post a Comment