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Overcoming Obstacles
and Spooks in Life
My horse, Samson, has learned that guns
are a fact of life out in the country, and he no
longer fears them. But that wasn't always
the case. It took lots of shooting and loud
noise for him to become desensitized and say,
"It's just another day in the park."
We All Face Obstacles In Life.
And sometimes they can look
(and sound) pretty scary, but they are powerless when we keep our eyes and our ears on the leader.
We all face obstacles and spooks in life. I'm talking about those unanticipated things that pop up when least expected, and threaten to stop us in our tracks. So, what do we do when the scary stuff comes along? Do we run, fight, hide, or figure out a way to get around it? Well, those who are quick to react often do. But not those who have learned to use the thinking side of their brain, and
follow the leader!
The pictures of Samson standing quietly as I shoot my ol' Henry rifle shows just how far he has come in learning to use the thinking side of his brain. He didn't get that way by running away, fighting, hiding, or going round and round in circles looking for an escape route. That would have been his natural and reactionary choice, of course. But it wasn't mine. My choice was that he learn to
trust me.
Learning To Trust
In this picture, I am asking Samson to
"give to the pressure" of the rope instead
of attempting to flee, or fight against it. Prey animals such as horses depend on their feet and their ability to "flee" for self-preservation. One of the ways I teach my horse to trust me and my leadership is by asking him to willingly surrender his feet and "freedom to run away or flee" to me.
Now consider this...
A True Horseman Doesn't Protect His Horse From Spooks.
Instead, He Gets The Spook Out Of The Horse. And where is the spook? Usually, it's right between his ears!
Most problems lie between our ears, and how we choose to think. Either we have the mind of Christ (our leader), or we don't.
For those of us in the horse-world, we're always aware of our horse's innate prey nature, and their instinctual response to anything that scares them. That response is most often
flight or fight. Why? Because he is hard-wired to think like that. When spooked by an obstacle or something scary, a horse will choose to flee if he can get away. If not, he may choose to fight. Fighting might result in bucking, biting, kicking, etc.
To the horse, it's all about survival.
When a horse chooses reactions such as
flight or fight in the face of obstacles or scary situations, we recognize it as being instinctually fear-based. The fear (or spook) is in the horse, not without. Once a horse gives in to his fear, there's not much thinking going on, or looking to the leader, - just lots of survival action. Why? Because prey animals are the one's on the food chain who are most often eaten! Let's face it. When confronted with obstacles and life's scary spooks, people can often act like horses, too.
Unfortunately, that's a problem because
we were not created to be prey.
You and I are not prey animals.
We are children of God, and we
have not been given the
spirit of fear.
Perhaps you've heard someone in the face of trouble say, "Well, I've got to do something. Anything is better than just standing around here and doing nothing!" Really? Anything is better?
Most folks who act on these words live to regret it. Why? Because it's nothing more than a
knee-jerk reaction born out of fear. Worse yet, there's no leader involved. How do I know that? Because leaders are strategic, and they always have a plan! Something and Anything and Nothing is no plan at all! On the contrary, God does have a plan, and His Word says that we have not been given the spirit of fear. A horse? Maybe. But you and me? That would be an absolute and resounding NO!
Samson confronts the evil tarp demon!
Having conquered the evil tarp, my
brave horse now says,
"Stinky manure bucket? No big deal.
I've seen worse. This bucket's under my feet!"
Getting The Spook Out!
One of the best proven methods of getting the spook out of a horse is to put the obstacle or scary stuff directly in the path of the horse where he is allowed to confront it repetitively. Initially, it can be an intimidating sight to behold as the horse sniffs, snorts, and sometimes bucks, farts, and rears. Anything is game at this point.
To the horse's way of thinking, the experience of learning to overcome obstacles and deal with scary spooks is like going to Camp Survival. To the leader, it's much deeper. It's all about desensitizing the horse, and getting the fear out of him.
A strange thing often happens at Camp Survival. The more a horse is confronted with obstacles and scary stuff, the braver he becomes.
Why? Because he learns through repetitive encounters with things like demon tarps, buckets, ropes, and poles, that none of these things have any real power over him. The one with the real power is the one who is standing beside him, guiding him through the obstacles and scary spooks, and protecting him every step of the way.
The experience of "de-spooking" our horses
may leave them looking and feeling a bit silly and perplexed, but it won't kill them. Not knowing how to overcome trials and obstacles
just might.
And finally, it's all about Trust
There is nothing more awesome to me than the moments I get to witness my horse give up his instinctual reactionary behavior, and put his trust in me. Both of us are aware of all the
life-changing and sometimes scary experiences it took to get us to this place of trust.
I suppose you and I are a bit like horses,
afterall. We often have to "work" out our trust
issues with God through the life-changing experiences of trials, obstacles, and maybe even a few scary spooks along the way. Then finally, one day we come to that very special moment in time when we realize God has been right there all along, - guiding us, protecting us, teaching us. A hard learned lesson? For sure, but then, that's what learning to trust is all about.
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