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What the Heart Says

2/27/2017

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Yesterday at cowboy church, the speaker talked about how what we say is a reflection of the condition of our heart.

It made me think about some of the colts and wild horses I have trained. When they first come to the ranch, they are so wild-eyed and reactive. They express what is in their heart with their body language by bucking, rearing, running away, kicking, striking, biting, and almost anything else you can think of.

At some point within their first few days of training, I begin to notice a big change in them. The condition of their heart changes and as a result, their body language shows the change. Their eyes become soft and quiet, they relax by lifting a hind leg and lowering their head, they lick and chew, and they want to spend time with me instead of running around the outside of the round pen. They become willing and their spirit becomes quiet and peaceful.

Horses are honest like that. Their bodies show what is in their heart. People are the same way. Our mouth speaks what is in our heart. When I say mean or hurtful things, make crude comments, or say things that are not Christ-like, it is because my heart is not right and it is time for me to do some training...on my heart.

Job 11:13-18 tells us exactly how we can go about training our hearts, as our cowboy church speaker pointed out yesterday. “"If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents. Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear. You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away. And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭11:13-18‬ ‭ESV‬‬


​-Kim
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The Problem

2/15/2017

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Horses are prey animals. They have a natural instinct to run away from potential "problems" or anything that seems like a threat to their safety. In the wild, a horse will react by running away, kicking, striking, or biting at the "problem". When training a young horse, one of the most basic things we try to teach them here at the ranch is how to react to "problems". We don't want instinct to kick in when a beginner climbs in the saddle, so we desensitize them to scary objects, such as tarps. As the horse advances in his training, he learns to use the thinking side of his brain. Instead of fleeing, he learns how to relax and trust his trainer when a "problem" presents itself.
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As humans, we have a natural instinct to react to "problems" as well. We don't react in the same way horses do, but we may get anxious, scared, angry, frustrated, or become withdrawn when we have a problem. Just like we don't want our horses reacting to problems, God doesn't want us to react in this way either. He wants us to relax and trust Him to help us with our problems. I have learned that my first reaction to a problem is never right. Why is it so hard to use the "thinking side" of my brain? I have taught many horses to use the thinking side, so why is it so hard for me? When I think about how difficult it is for me to change my instinct to react to problems, it makes me much more patient when I am working with a green horse.

The problem isn't the problem. The problem is how I react to the problem. Trust God and ask Him for guidance by reading His word and spending some time talking to Him the next time you have a problem.

-Kim
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