DIRTY HORSES,

MUD-HOLES,

and

SIN!

"O God, you know my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from you."

(Psalms 69: 5)

What is it with some horses and mud? Horses with a strong penchant for organic mud-baths always seem to return to the scene of the crime time and time again!

If you've got horses, you've got dirt! Some horses like dirt more than others. Most of them have learned that a roll in the dirt is a great antidote to biting flies, or for curing an itch. But for some, like my horse, Samson, a roll in the dirt isn't enough. Samson loves to roll in the mud! In fact, he thinks mud holes are the greatest thing since sliced carrots. Most of his horse pasture is green with grass, but it's pretty barren down by the gate where the horses go in and out. As a result, there's always a few mud holes there after a good rain. And mud holes never escape Samson's attention! His strong penchant for organic mud baths causes him to return to the scene of the crime time and time again. So, what do I do? You guessed it. Time and time again, I forgive him. And why do I forgive him? I forgive him because I love him. And why do I love him? I love him because he is a horse after my own heart, and he belongs to me. And so, I get out the water-hose and the soap once again, and I wash him clean as new.

Now lets bring it on home by taking a look at King David and his penchant for mud rolling. We know from scripture that David had a strong anointing on his life from the time of his youth. As a boy, he had bravely confronted and killed the giant Philistine, Goliath, with a slingshot and one stone. Such was his skill, and such was the power of his faith in God. As David grew into a man, God continued to show him favor, not only with men, but in battle, too. And eventually David was anointed as King.

Now, herein is the paradox. We know that David was a man after God's own heart, and that God loved him. And yet, David was flawed in his humanity because of sin. While he was strong in his faith, he was often weak in his flesh. As a result, it was sometimes difficult for David to resist the temptation that mud-holes often present. We may never know the reasons why mud holes were such a temptation for David. But we do know other things about him. We know that David wrote much, if not all, of one of the most soul searching and wonderful books of pure praise to God that the world has ever known, - the Book of Psalms. So, how could a man so familiar with dirt, mud holes, and sin, write such an incredible book of unadulterated praise to God? I believe the answer has to do with forgiveness. You see, you can't offer up pure praise to God until you've been truly forgiven. David "owned" up to his sins, and he truly repented. As a result, he received complete and true forgiveness. And when we're truly forgiven, we have something to praise God about. Now, let's go a bit further... 

Does the fact that God forgave David of his many sins mean that there were no consequences for those sins? Quite the contrary, there are always consequences to sin. The consequences of David's penchant for mud holes eventually cost him the life of his first-born child with Bathsheba, disrespect and loss of loyalty from his own army over the death of Bathsheba's husband whom he had knowingly sent to the front lines during battle, and eventually a very troubled household that included rape, and murder. No matter how he tried, King David could not remove the "consequences" of his sinful actions, even though God had removed his sin. I've often wondered why God chose to forgive David of his sins time and time again. After all, David was a repeat offender when it came to rolling in the mud! And yet, when he sincerely repented of his sins, God chose to completely forgive him, and restore him to righteousness once again. Such is the power of God's amazing love. It is a love that always covers a multitude of sins. And it is a love that never fails, even when we do. And finally, it is a love that washes away the mud time and time again, and makes us clean as new! 

OLD COWGIRLS

AND

HORSES

A blog/diary of my life with horses, and a few other adventures along the way.

I feel at home in wide-open spaces. 

I love the western plains, especially Montana and Wyoming. Perhaps it's those wide open spaces that draw me like a magnet. For years, my husband, Kim, and I did mission work among Native people out west. There were months when we lived with, ate with, and spent every waking moment with these wonderful people of the Plains. And every morning I would wake up to the vast beauty of wide open spaces, and feel like I was home. 

Years later, when I came off the road, my heart still yearned for those wide open spaces, and for years I literally begged Kim for us to just pack up all our belongings and head west - permanently. My pioneer spirit was literally bursting at the seams during those years, and I tried every tactic possible from "My heart is in the west", to "I'm sure God really wants me there", to "Alright then, you can stay here, but I'm going". But it was all to no avail. Kim spent just as much time convincing me that although I would love many things about living out west, those harsh winters wouldn't be one of them. He had found my weakness. It was true. I had never really liked cold weather, especially cold, frigid weather like they get on the Plains. But what about those Montana and Wyoming summers where the blue sky goes on forever, and at night you can look up and see a thousand stars? Wouldn't that make those harsh winters worth it? And that's exactly what I was thinking about today when I saddled up my horse and headed for the big arena on the top of the hill.   

 Once in the arena, I tried to forget about Montana, and Wyoming, and all those wide open spaces. I had lots of work to do, and so I cued my horse, Samson, to move forward. I had set up construction cones all around the arena just to give us some guidelines for our patterns and exercises. As I rode circles around the orange cone in the middle of the arena, I concentrated hard on "keeping my head up and my eyes forward". And that's when I saw it. Everywhere I looked, I saw wide open spaces. The pastures looked like open fields of rolling green carpet. And yes, there were trees in the background, but they quietly kept their distance, looking as if they had been hand-carved and strategically placed there simply to outline the fields. And in an instant, I knew. I knew that God had not only given me what I needed for the horses, but He had given me the desire of my heart, - wide open spaces.

Q & A

Each month I receive emails filled with interesting and great questions. I try to answer each email with a personal response. In this segment of our newsletter, I will share some of the special emails I've received. All names have been changed to protect the individual's privacy. 

Susan, I'm a new subscriber to your newsletters. I'm enjoying them and trying to learn some things. A few years ago my daughter was killed during a horse accident. She was born again and loved the Lord. She also loved horses and was a great barrel racer but the horse she was on ran off with her. I don't know if he freaked out or what his problem was. What I do know is that I no longer have my daughter and I feel very angry about that. I grew up riding horses but now I want nothing to do with them. I also believed in God before her accident but now I'm not sure how I feel about him anymore. My daughter was a good person and she didn't deserve to die. The reason I am writing to you is because I've struggled with everything since my daughters death. I've even struggled with thoughts about suicide. I know its wrong but I think the death of my daughter was wrong too. A few months ago a friend forwarded me one of your newsletters. I had never read anything like it before and at first I was angry at my friend because she knew how I felt about horses and about God but I guess I was a little bit interested too. Since then I've read every one of your newsletters. I just thought I would write and thank you for the kind of ministry you do. I'm trying to get past my feelings and set some new goals for myself and get my life back. I don't understand a lot of things that happen in this life but I'm willing to try and you've helped me come a long way with that. 

           (Cathy, Texas)          

My Response To Cathy

  Dear Cathy - I'm thankful someone took the time to forward my newsletter to you, and I'm glad that you're now a subscriber. I also want to thank you for taking time to write and share your heart with me. I want to start by saying that I am very sorry for the loss of your daughter. I am also sorry that her death was due to a horse accident. Countless books have been written about why bad things happen to good people, or why God allows such horrific accidents to happen in the first place. Most of these books leave us feeling empty, and with more questions than we started out with. In an attempt to come up with an explanation, I, too, could go into a long discourse about the Adamite entrance of sin into the world, and it's resulting effects of death on all mankind. And I would be correct in my theology, however, I would be wrong in my lack of compassion for you. Right now, you are hurting, and in pain over the loss of your daughter. And it would be insensitive of me to take this opportunity to try and school you. I could also attempt to defend God, and try to explain away His actions, or lack, thereof, concerning your daughter's accident, but I won't do that, either. I am not smart enough to be God's defense attorney. Nevertheless, you deserve some answers. I can't share with you what I don't know, but I can share with you what I do know and believe by faith. I know that God loved your daughter beyond measure, and absolutely nothing - not even death - can separate her from that love. You stated in your letter that your daughter was born again. That tells me that she is now in heaven where she is perfect, complete, and entire - wanting nothing. Was it an untimely death? In earthly terms, most definitely. But God doesn't view time the way you and I do. Let me explain. Many years ago, I buried my baby son who was stillborn. He was a baby that I loved very much and had prayed for. Moments after his delivery, I held his lifeless body in my arms and thought about all the years he would miss. Then, sitting there in that sterile, lonely hospital room, I heard the spirit of the Lord say to me, "I do not value life by it's days, months, or years on earth, but I value life by its place in me. Your son is with me today in heaven." As miraculous as it sounds, He also spoke those same words to my husband who was sitting by my side. Those words set us free. If I could tell you anything today, I would tell you that days, months, and years are but a framework in which we humans live our lives while on earth. As a result, it's easy to view life through a narrow and finite scope. But God sees things through an infinite scope, one that is vast, eternal, and everlasting. That is because God is the "keeper of time". Today, Cathy, your daughter is with the keeper of time. You mentioned setting new goals and getting your life back. I hope you will set the goal of living your life fully and completely for God from this moment on. If you do, then heaven will be waiting for you. And in God's perfect time, you will see your daughter again!

Natural Horse

Faith-Man-Ship

(Teaching biblical faith using horses)

ARE YOU READY FOR THE FAITH RIDE OF

 YOUR LIFE?  

To Learn More... 

WRITE or EMAIL

Susan Klaudt Horse Ministry

P. O. Box 4994

Cleveland, TN 37320

or  

ksworldmin@aol.com