One
evening, not so long ago, several of my friends were sharing childhood
anecdotes. As I listened to Janene talk about the passion she's held for horses
from the time she was a little girl through adulthood, I knew her story needed
to be told. As you read how her dream has come true—more than once and
sometimes in unexpected ways—take encouragement that God cares about YOUR
dreams too. ~ Dawn
How
God Gave One Little Girl
the Desires of Her Heart
It’s been said that “once horse crazy, always horse
crazy.” It’s true. It doesn’t seem to matter whether you even HAVE a horse
anymore or not, the love, longing, and memories are always there.
God tells us that He wants to give us the desires of
our heart. This is also true!
My earliest memories of longing for my own horse go
way back to when I was a young girl in grade school. My friends had amazing
horse statue collections, and we played horses for hours on end. We’d also run
and romp in ranchers’ hay and alfalfa fields, pretending to be horses
ourselves.
The sweetest, most beautiful horses in one pasture
always greeted me at the fence when I passed on my way to and from school. I
originally started sneaking carrots and sugar cubes to put in my pockets so I
could feed them each day, because I was sure my mother wouldn’t agree to it.
Much to my surprise, my mother was smarter than I gave her credit for. She did
indeed notice the missing carrots and the dwindling supply of sugar cubes and
became suspicious as to their whereabouts. I finally had to fess up to what I
had been doing. From then on, she made sure I had an ample supply for my animal
friends.
Not satisfied with only feeding them through a
fence, I decided to ask—no—beg for a horse of my own. It shouldn’t be
surprising that I was countered with a hearty, of course not, where would we put a horse?
After much negotiation, we agreed that I would be
allowed to go ride at the local horse stable to see if I even liked riding. That led to many happy
visits to the stables where I learned to ride. I wanted to be near the horses
so much that I even offered to muck the stalls if I would be allowed to just
“hang around.” I mean, what stable wouldn’t want a FREE hired hand?
That eventually led to becoming a trail guide for
paying customers and taking them out for a fun horse experience. I thought I was in heaven, except I still
didn’t have a horse of my own. My mom was quite certain I’d outgrow my
infatuation and move on to the next cool thing. That didn’t happen! My love for
horses never waned.
I was then
allowed to attend a special horse camp (two summers in a row) that was located
in the beautiful Ruby Mountains. I hopped on a plane and flew there by myself!
It was a month-long camp where we learned to do cattle round-ups, ride the
mountain trails, etc. I learned so much during those summers, and I was pretty
sure I was in heaven, except I still
didn’t have a horse of my own.
FINALLY … Did I say finally? My parents agreed that it was time to allow me the most
wonderful opportunity of all time—to have a horse of my own. I was eleven years
old. The luckiest eleven-year-old of all!
We purchased a beautiful Appaloosa and I was in
love. The following year we bought our second horse, which was highly trained,
and I was even more in love. He soon became my favorite and the apple of my
eye. We could read each others’ emotions and feelings. I trusted him with my
life. He truly looked out for me in every way. Even when I fell off and I was
knocked unconscious, he never left my side, even though he could have easily
run away.
Time ticked on, I left home, went off to college,
got married, and started my own life. A life that didn’t have a horse in its
future. But after many, many years without my lovely, large, animal friends,
the Lord granted me the desires of my heart yet once again. He brought a gal
into my life who needed help with her horse. She had an injured knee and could
no longer ride. She approached me to see if I would be interested in giving her
horse some exercise. Well, of course! I was blessed with
a wonderful, beautiful Arabian as my new companion until we moved out of the
area to another town.
Within only months of our move, once again God
brought another wonderful gal into my
life who has a horse that needs to be ridden. The day we met, she found out
that I rode and called me the very next day to see if I would like to ride with
her! We’ve had many, wonderful adventures and times together. I feel so blessed
beyond words!
As if that wasn’t enough, God brought yet another amazing opportunity my way.
Recently, I met a lovely lady, who like me, was asked to help arrange flowers
for a wedding. We became quick friends! It just so happens she also has horses
and so generously asked if I would ever want to ride with her. She also uses
her horses to minister to and bless children with special needs. And once again
I said of course!
My heart is so full of blessings and is so touched
by the Lord and His desire to please and bring pleasure to His children. What a
benevolent, loving Father we have who is concerned enough about even the
smallest of desires we have hidden in our hearts, just to bring us joy and
pleasure. He knows our hearts. He dwells there—and this is how He knows us so
intimately and completely! May we never take for granted the little things God
does for us and the blessings He provides— like only a heavenly Father can!
This little
girl’s “horsey heart” is surely blessed.
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