KNOWING WHEN TO
STOP, AND BACK-UP
"Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might
He increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
But those who wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles.
They shall run and not be weary;
They shall walk and not faint."
(Isaiah 40: 28 - 31)
GOD'S PERFECT TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Good "timing" and good "feel" are everything in horsemanship. In my opinion, these two things are the most important tools I have when working with horses.
Perhaps you've heard it said that timing is everything. In a very real sense, it's true. Although we are eternal beings through Christ Jesus, we presently live in an earthly body that has natural confines of time that are ordered by days, weeks, months, and years. And those days, weeks, months and years are broken down into even smaller confines known as seconds, minutes, and hours. As mind-boggling as it is, every milli-second of our life combines to make a lifetime of "ordered steps" by God. And in God's perfect order, not even one tittle of a fraction of a second is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. When you look at life from this perspective, you begin to understand the critical importance of being in sync with God, and the necessity for His perfect "timing".
"The mind of man plans his way,
but the Lord directs his steps."
(Proverbs 16: 9)
I've confessed on more than one occasion that in the natural, I have a "forward motion" mentality and a "charge ahead" personality. What I mean by that is I like to move forward and get things done. It gives me a sense of being productive, albeit, it can sometimes be a false sense of productivity if it's something that God has not specifically ordered. When you combine this kind of natural mentality with a personality that is ready and willing to charge ahead on a dime - you can sometimes end up with some wrong steps. When that has happened to me, God has quickly stopped me in my tracks, and even made me do some serious backing-up.
Consider this...
Moving forward is a good thing. But if your timing is out of sync with God's timing, the results can be as bad as if you hadn't been willing to move at all!
Some women dream of nice, big homes. I dream of nice, big barns! How's this for a super-sized dream barn? I keep this magazine picture on my desk as a reminder to always dream big!
Several years ago, I had what I thought was a great idea, and a super-sized dream! It all started when I began to feel a bit weary with trying to convert our farm into a workable horse property. Our farm acreage is hilly and rolling, and it has taken considerable amounts of labor and earth-moving over the past 15 years just to level out areas for an arena and roundpen. To this day, it is still a work in progress. And what about that dream barn? Where in the world could I ever build that on these rolling hills? Finally, I decided it would be much smarter and more cost-effective to simply sell the farm, and find a property that was already "turn-key" and set up for horses. That very day, my forward motion brain kicked into overdrive, and the "For Sale" sign immediately went up on the farm.
Looking for a new place to hang that old Cowboy sign is a great idea if it's in God's perfect timing. But if it's not, you may find yourself doing some serious God-ordered back-ups!
On the surface, selling our farm, and finding a turn-key horse farm seemed to make perfect sense. But there was just one problem. My timing was off. And why was my timing off? My timing was off because I had gotten ahead of God and His perfect timing. As a result, I put myself in danger of missing His specific plan for my life. Because I launched ahead with my own time-projection, instead of waiting upon the Lord, our farm did not sell. God didn't just shut the door - He slammed the door shut and locked it! Did this mean that we were never to sell our farm? Perhaps, and perhaps not. But more importantly, it meant we would have to be still, and listen. When we're still, we have the safety-net that comes with waiting for the Lord to act on our behalf, and allowing Him to guide our path. And secondly, we have the assurance that things will come together just as they were intended to, and it will all be in His perfect timing.
THE ART OF LEARNING
TO BE STILL
"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act."
(Psalm 37: 7)
In this picture, I've just asked my horse, Samson, to stop going forward. Between the forward motion and the back-up, I always bring my horse to a complete stop or stand-still. Standing still cements the idea of a solid stop or "whoa" in my horse's mind, and keeps him from "anticipating" or acting on a move before I ask for it. This solid stop and stand-still also allows my horse to settle, and think about what he's doing, and more importantly, - what I'm asking him to do.
One of the hardest things in life is to stop all the go-go-go, and just be still. I've mentioned in past newsletters about the critical importance of forward motion as it relates to horses, and people. So what's up with being still? It's all about balance. Again, let's look at horses. In order to have a well-balanced horse, he has to be able to do more than just go forward. Yes, good forward motion is key to all of his other movements, but he also has to be able to move backwards, and left and right. In other words, I want my horse to be able to move in any direction I tell him to go. But none of these directional movements are more important than his knowing how to simply stand still, and patiently wait for my next cue.
So, what does it really mean to be still? Again, let's look at it from a horse perspective. When I want my horse to be still, or not move, I quietly but firmly tell him, "whoa". I've heard a few conflicting uses of the word "whoa" from various trainers. Some believe that whoa means to stop and immediately back up. That works well in an arena, but you're flat out of luck if you're on a steep, narrow trail and there's a bear behind you! It seems everyone wants to put their own spin on the word. I have only one spin on the word. When I say whoa, I want my horse to stop his feet right then and there, and not take another step until I give him the cue to do so. It's the same with you and me. When God say's "WHOA", it means stop - and stop now!
WHOA MEANS STOP
It's important to teach a horse to stop, and even to back-up from the ground first. In the beginning, I exaggerate my "you better stand still" or "you better move back" look in order to visually teach my horse what I want him to do, and to motivate him to do it right now.
When asking my horse to stand still, if he does take a step, my correction is swift and honest. Without anger or sentiment, I stop my horse firmly, even planting-his-feet-in-the-ground, if necessary. Then, I back my horse up with high energy, and ask him to stand still once again. Sometimes a horse gets it the first time. Sometimes it takes repetition. It's the same with people. Sometimes we "get it" the first time when God tells us in our spirit to stop and stand still. But usually, it takes a few impatient, strike-out on our own, life-learning, and perhaps even ego-busting attempts at going somewhere, before we learn the critical importance of stopping and standing still, and waiting for God to order our steps.
Once again, consider this...
Any good thoroughbred knows that an excellent race doesn't start at a full-out gallop on the track. It always starts at the gate where he's at a complete stand-still waiting to hear the bell!
A GOOD BACK-UP DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE DOING NOTHING -
IT MEANS YOU'RE
FULLY ENGAGED
"We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."
(Hebrews 6: 12, NIV)
Whenever I ask for a specific western pleasure back-up, I use light and steady pressure with my legs on both sides of my horse, and if necessary, contact with and/or a gentle roll of the spur rowels. This is Samson's cue to immediately "engage" his hindquarters, drop his head, and begin moving backwards.
Some of the greatest Bible stories are epic in their rendering, giving us a verbal panoramic view of people's lives, and the outcome of their faith walk with God. Abraham and Sarah were not only people of strong faith, but they were also people who had to learn the hard way about the power of the "back-up". They soon learned that backing up didn't mean doing nothing at all. It meant being completely and fully engaged! Assuming you already know the biblical story of Abraham and Sarah, and God's promise to give them a child, let's take just a brief look at this specific time during their life. Abraham and Sarah were given a promise by God. They were told that they would not only have a child of their own, but that Abraham's heirs would one day be as numerous as the grains of sand. Because the promise was not immediately fulfilled, Sarah began to doubt. And then she got creative!
Beware of doubt.
It's always a predecessor to
"creative thinking"!
At Sarah's suggestion, Abraham laid with Sarah's handmaiden, Hagar, and soon, they had a son they named Ishmael. At the very least, we've gotta hand it to ol' Abe for being a willing participant and a forward moving thinker! Nevertheless, it was a "hurry-up and get it done" kind of plan. To say the least, God wasn't impressed with Abraham and Sarah's creative thinking and ingenuity, nor was He willing to exchange His plan for theirs. As God had already told them, the promised child was to be from the union of Abraham and Sarah. Fast forward, and we learn that Hagar and her son, Ishmael, were soon forced to leave the safety and provision of Abraham's camp. Hmmm, no doubt that was more creative thinking on Sarah's part!
What had started out as a gigantic leap of "forward moving" faith for Abraham and Sarah, soon ended up being a serious lesson in God's perfect timing, and how to seriously back-up. And it was only in the process of time, and the necessary "back-up", that they learned to become "fully engaged" in God's plan for their lives, and not that of their own. And what was God's plan for Abraham and Sarah? His plan was for them to conceive a son, - a very special son that they would name Isaac. And Isaac, alone, would be Abraham and Sarah's child of promise.
GOD HOLDS THE KEYS TO OUR TIME
Perhaps some of you reading this newsletter right now have taken steps of faith, and you have moved forward in action. And yet, you are beginning to sense the gentle, but firm grasp of God's hands on the reins of your life. Perhaps He is telling you to stop. Or perhaps He is requiring you to fully engage yourself and back-up immediately. I know from personal experience that moving forward successfully, and then suddenly being told to stop and back-up can be confusing. Yet, as confusing as it may seem, every "move" in God has a specific purpose for your benefit. Next time you're moving forward in faith, and suddenly you find yourself being asked to stop and stand still, or even to back-up, - I want you to think about the following.
Some moves of God in our life are for our advancement. Others moves are for our refinement. And still, others are specifically for our correction.
But every move of God in our life is designed to train us, better us, equip us, protect us, and bring us into perfect partnership with Him. And ultimately, we will all know that...
God's perfect timing really is everything!
