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In the horse world, there's lots of conflicting opinions about "bending" a horse. Some horse trainers and clinicians bend their horses religiously, while others are of the opinion that bending can lead to a "broken" horse (a horse that can't go straight). I try to have a good balance in everything I do, and that includes the training that I implement with my horses. While I'm not excessive in bending my horse, Samson, I do bend him a lot. In horse lingo, we call it lateral flexion. Samson is a 1300 pound muscled-up all-around state champion in western pleasure - perhaps the "straightest" rail class of them all. Having said that, I like to think I've learned a thing, or maybe even two, over the years. One of the things I've learned is that "the better the bend - the stronger the horse." And why is that? When I ask my horse to bend (lateral flexion), I'm requiring him to do something out of the ordinary - something that he wouldn't choose to do on his own - something that flexes the muscles he wouldn't ordinarily use - something that "strengthens" the thinking side of his brain rather than the reactive side - something that demands that he trust me. Ultimately, I end up with more than just a horse that is more agile and can flex from side to side. I end up with a horse that is smarter, more obedient, more trusting, and "strong enough" to bend. So, what does bending have to do with you and me? Let's go further...
What do you think of when you think about God's Word (the Bible)? Do you think of it as simply an ancient account of history, or perhaps just an antiquated book with little or no relevance to your life today? What if I told you that one of the important purposes of God's Word is to train you and me for battle (life's battle)? Could it be that the Word of God is, in part, a training manual in how to live a strong and undefeated life in spite of our circumstances?
"He trains my hands for battle so that my arms can bend an archer's bow of bronze."
(Psalm 18: 34, God's Word Translation)
The Bible teaches you and me by example. Many of those examples are about people who learned how to bend during the storms of life. The stories of people like David, Moses, Job, Peter, and Paul (just to name a few) are not feel-good stories. The are stories about real people, with real feelings, who suffered many undeserved trials and tribulations during their lifetime. The amazing thing is, in spite of their often dreadful and heart-breaking circumstances, their spirits did not break! How is this possible? It isn't, unless you know God and His Word. These giants of faith were people who not only knew God and His Word, but they trusted Him explicitly with their life. Because they trusted God, their spirits were armed ahead of time, not just for life's victories, but for it's battles, as well. No matter what life threw at them (and it threw a lot), they emerged through it all as more than conquerors. In fact, they became overcomers in this life! The Bible says that you and I are also overcomers. And what does it take to be a real overcomer? Well, for starters, we have to have something to overcome! Like it or not, that puts most of us smack-dab in the center of the action. The good news is that when we know God and His Word, and we choose to trust Him, there is absolutely no circumstance that we cannot rise above, no trial that can destroy us, no enemy that can defeat us, and no storm that can uproot us. Even death has no sting, nor the grave any victory over the believer! In a word - we are unbreakable. Why? We are strong enough to bend.
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