Bucking horses

Last week I visited a small ranch down the road where they had three horses named Luke, Mojo and Jazz. These were beautiful and majestic animals, God's awesome creations. We spent some time grooming two of them to make sure they were clean and comfortable before saddling them up for a short ride. Since it was the first time the horses had been ridden this season, we needed to go easy with them (which was fine with me, an inexperienced rider). Jazz, a stallion they are boarding, was quite energetic and somewhat unpredictable so I wasn't even going to ask about riding him. Luke's an older fella, over 30 years old but not exactly sure how old he really is. I picked him since he's generally a slower and easier riding horse compared to Mojo, although he did buck his owner a few months ago breaking her hip. I learned since he is an older horse, he has some sore spots that you have to consider when saddling him up. Aggravating Luke's sore spots can cause him to react by bucking the rider... Ouch!

Needless to say I felt a bit uneasy riding him, as I was concerned about inadvertently causing him pain or discomfort. The last thing I wanted was to be bucked! Well, fortunately for me the ride went without incident. But after riding Luke, I started to consider how we sometimes react to hurt or aggravation. Most of us tolerate quite a bit of pain and difficulties in our lives, but we all have a limit where our tolerance ends. We react or "buck" to get rid of the pain, irritation, or parasite eating at us. This is a normal, but often misunderstood reaction. Luke was in pain, but the rider was not aware of it. How often in our lives do we saddle others (or ourselves) with burdens, totally oblivious to the potential pain that lies underneath. Without proper grooming, training, and preparation we give (or take) responsibilities and burdens totally unaware how these may hurt. We should take care in preparation and assessment before carrying a load. Otherwise we may react unpredictably when under pressure, often hurting others by doing things we may later regret.

The beautiful part of this story is the relationship between Luke and his owner. Even after breaking her hip from the fall, she did not blame Luke at all, but loved and cared for him just the same. She understood bucking was Luke's natural reaction to pain. I wonder about our understanding of others who react to pain. Do we criticize and condemn, or do we consider that there may be an underlying cause for the reaction? Do we care, "groom", help others (and ourselves) to handle life's burdens? Or do we simply expect others (and ourselves) to perform without adverse reaction at all times? I wonder how God reacts to our "bucking" when we feel discomfort or pain? Do we receive wrath and condemnation for our actions? Or after we "buck", are we still loved and cared for us just the same? Unconditionally....