Have I ever told you how much I absolutely adore riding my horse? I mean, books are nice, and photography is cool and all, and chocolate . . . well, okay, chocolate is just indescribable. But when it comes to horses, nothing in all this world can beat them. And I’ve got the best horse on earth. That is, if your definition of “best” is: cute, terribly funny, perhaps a bit naughty at times, stubborn and dear beyond reason. His name is Sullivan, after the big blue monster on Monsters Inc., cause they’re both adorable and absolutely dedicated to a certain girl.
Sully and I went for a ride the other day. Now I may have rather implied in the past that Nebraska is as flat as a lake frozen over. But miracles still exist. I know, because not three miles from our house - in Nebraska - I found hills. Softly rolling hills, like the ocean when it’s calm and sleepy, hills that would sing a lullaby if they could choose just one melody. A dirt track bobs along these grassy waves, picketed by yet-bare trees and thick, stout bushes. We must’ve seen at least seven rabbits, and as many squirrels. But then we came to this wide open field, and the golden grass was waving at us and the clouds in the sky were cheering us on, and the whole scene just shouted, “Run!”
So, we did. Up to the hilltops and then down into the valleys again, not really going anywhere and having a marvelous time of it. The theme song from Man From Snowy River was cascading through my head the entire time. And then we found the absolute highest peak, and I sent Sully bounding to the top. We circled, and I swept my eyes over a rippling sea of earthy fields that ended only where the blue expanse of sky began. And that’s when I realized I was standing on top of the world.
Who would’ve thought the top of the world would be found in plain old Nebraska? And as it’s hard to have such an experience and not gain at least some small life lesson from it, I did. It suddenly struck me that I was sitting atop this still-prancing, sweat-covered horse. His nose was blowing in and out, and I could feel his every breath. Then there was me. I was hardly even tired. Certainly not looking like I’d just run several miles. Come to think of it, I hadn’t run several miles. And that was my point. All the glorious majesty of standing on top of the world with Man From Snowy River music pounding like a waterfall into my heart, and I had hardly done a thing. All I’d done was held on and trusted my horse.
And I think that’s like what God wants of us as we’re walking life’s road with Him. Just hold on and trust Him to take us there. To the top of the world.
