I am a horse....

My sister was telling me about a guy she saw who breaks horses for riding and then uses that to share the Gospel. He never uses brute force to break the horse. Instead, he simply pursues it. When he tries to pet the horse, if it runs away, he simply chases it, making it run even more. Eventually, the horse tires out and learns that it can't escape the man, so it stops running. When that happens, the man is able to care for the horse, give it water, let it rest, and be the care-taker he wants to be. He says that God is the same way. When He approaches us, if we run, He chases. And sooner or later, we tire out. We reach the point where we realize we have nowhere to go and God is the only way we're going to survive. And when that happens, God is able to be the care-taker to you that He wants to be.

It reminded me of the story Hosea and Gomer, and how God used their relationship to represent His relationship to Israel. Even though Gomer cheated on Hosea and ran from him every chance she had, he pursued her. And when she was on the slave block, with no where to run, Hosea was there to clothe her, nurse her to health, and take care of her.

"Therefore, I will soon fence her in with thorns; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch them; she will seek them, but she will not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go back to my husband, because I was better off then I am now. '" --Hosea 2:6-7

God knows that He's the only thing that can satisfy. So when we take off, He pursues, knowing full well that eventually we'll tire out. And at that point, when we've reached rock bottom, He'll be waiting to restore us and ease our wounds. Granted, it's always better to start out doing what God wants, but if it doesn't happen that way, if we turn to God, He will turn to us.

Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.

Thanks, Maggie, for the story.

Keep Soaring,

B