January 7, 2022 – Friday
This past summer, I said yes to gymnastics. My spirit seemed to just know it was where we needed to be. At the time, our 9:30 am class was overflowing with children on summer break. My first day there I met Heidi. We immediately connected and became fast friends.
In getting to know Heidi, she revealed that she plays the harp and is an instructor. She also mentioned that her sister Gracia was in the horse world and worked at a barn near our house.
When my daughter was three, she told me she wanted to play the harp like King David (be still my beating heart). I stored her dream in my heart and have pondered it ever since. Since that time the dream has grown – mostly in my own heart.
When the Lord introduces you to a harp teacher who's sister works at a barn - it is hard to ignore it. Needless to say... the Lord had my attention.
With the start of school, our gymnastics group dwindled down to the homeschoolers, and for a while it was just our family. Heidi and I have since kept in touch.
Over the past six months the children's interest in gymnastics has waned. They would rather be in the barn - riding. Oh how I understand. So would I! It is with horses that our hearts sing. Though I was hesitant, I gave our 30 day notice at gymnastics and we are finishing up the month of January.
I filled the empty space with homeschool choir. Perhaps I should have just left the space open. There are so many wonderful options all around me. I am trying hard to follow the Lord and His path. Everything that sparkles does not demand my attention. I am praying for wisdom.
Yet... before leaving gymnastics, God had one more thing in mind. Yesterday, Ashley walked in with her daughter for their first class. It was a cold January morning. Her stocking cap was adorned with little bits of hay. She obviously caught my attention. As I introduced myself - she mentioned that she had just rushed over from the barn. We chatted the hour away – mostly about horses.
Ashley told me that horses had always been a dream of hers. It was this longing that led her to knock on a barn door and offer to muck stalls. After almost two years of chores, she finally got to ride, and today owns a horse of her own.
I am so inspired by her pursuit of her dream. Perhaps there are times in life that we need to be willing to muck stalls to make our dreams a reality.
Wanna know the cool part? Guess where she works? With Gracia, Heidi's sister. The barn by my house.
As we were talking, she said something I can’t shake. She said “it’s time for you to get your horse”. Though I just met her, her words had a familiar ring - my spirit heard my Shephard’s voice. Sometimes God uses us - even when we don’t know He is doing it. I am pretty sure Ashley had no clue of the significance of what she said, but her words were salve to my dry and weary soul. They were words I have been waiting to hear for over twenty years.
As we parted ways that morning, we both knew we had a met a kindred spirit and that the Lord was indeed up to something.
As I recapped the story to my husband over dinner, he said… “maybe it is time we get a horse!” For so long we have pondered the idea of owning our own horse. My dream for horses has been deferred for so long. Is this the season this desire of my heart will be fulfilled!? God… I lay this at your feet and wait in excited anticipation to see what you will do.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. (Prov 13:12, ESV)
ACTION: Where has your hope been deferred? What have you been wishing and hoping for? I hear the Lord saying to pull it back out again and press in. Perhaps like Ashley, it will take action on our part. Dreams do at times just fall in our lap, but other times we find ourselves mucking through the process. Is there one step we could take today to get the wheels in motion? Is there a stall that needs mucking?