Trust Mystery, Trust God

Isaiah the prophet says:

"Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 40: 4-5 NIV

I expected my first marriage that lasted over 25 years and was mainly good to be lifelong. I certainly did not expect it to end. I won’t go into all the details. The divorce ultimately was amicable, but I had to sell my beloved Arabian Appaloosa horse, Rocket, who I’d bought as a yearling and trained to saddle. He was playful and fun, a chestnut with a star on his forehead, a fluffy mane and a tail he carried like a flag.

Recently I found myself yearning for horses again. I met a woman at Art in the Park and admired her paintings. We got to talking and she invited me to come out to her farm and go riding with her. It has been many years since I kept horses, and I was anxious about my ability. Yet I went. Two of her horses were way too frisky for me, and the third one was sweet but on the large size. I doubted I’d be able to sling my leg across this horse’s back.

Imagine Mary, the pregnant mother of God trying to ride a donkey. Of course, the Bible doesn't actually say she rode the donkey but from what I've read, because the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was many miles, it seems likely that she did. But what matters is her perseverance and her courage and her yes to a Mystery greater than herself: God.

I was surprised when a young boy, a teenager, wanted to buy my beautiful Rocket horse and counted out a stack of dollar bills he’d saved from his pocket money. It must have taken him a long time. He wanted an endurance horse and that was what Rocket had been bred for. He’d also been too young and playful for me, turning so fast like a barrel racer that I’d end up in the grass. I was a lot younger then! This boy was a perfect fit. And he took Rocket back to the very farm where he’d been bred, where he was with many other horses. I was still sad but grateful and free to move on.