At the Alpha Holy Spirit day last weekend, I had the privilege of seeing a video of Stacy Westfall riding without a saddle and bridle. It’s an amazing video that has made me tear up every time I’ve watched it since. It’s an amazing picture of the horse’s submission to his rider and an incredible display of horsemanship and gentleness in communication. Stacy masterfully guided the horse through flying lead changes, sliding stops, spins and gate changes with such ease. God has obviously given her a gift for training and riding. Because of the viral nature of the Internet and YouTube, millions of people now know of Stacy and her skills. She’s become a sought-after speaker at horse events all over the U.S. (and probably beyond). Good for her.
The video was shown at the retreat because it is a picture of how God communicates with us. The more time we spend with God, the more we can understand where he’s guiding us in our lives and know how much he loves us. When we’re in his will, he gently leads us. When we live outside of his plan, purpose and will, he often allows difficulties to bring us back to him.
I have great deal of respect for Stacy and her skills. I also have a problem (well, two) with Stacy and her skills. Both of the problems come down to pride — my pride and her pride. My pride causes me to be envious of Stacy and her abilities. I wish I could direct my horse with minimal contact. Sheez, I wish I could ride a canter bareback for that matter. I suppose if I dedicated myself to riding my horse 2 hours every day as she has, I could ride a canter bareback, and Ernie and I would communicate better without so much reliance on the bit, reins and spurs. What I need to remember though is that God has gifted me with other skills and he values me and my skills just as much as he does Stacy’s.
Romans 12:6 implores each of us to use our individual gifts, whatever those gifts may be. When each of us is using our gifts, the collective result is a balanced, harmonious state. We are to use our gifts in cooperation with others.
My pride is just one part of my discomfort with Stacy’s performance. Her pride is the other. It rubs me the wrong way when Stacy ends her performances by standing on the horse’s back and taking a bow and revving up the crowd. She seems to want to draw attention to herself and gain the glory for her God-given gifts. Yes, she is very skilled. There are not many people who could accomplish what she has. Is her quest for a standing ovation necessary for her to know she had a great ride? Does it do anything for the crowd when she solicits that feedback? I would have greater respect for her if she simply ended her ride with a wave, or let the horse bow to the crowd, rather than trying to soak up the attention for herself.
1 Corinthians 1:31 (NIV): “Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Proverbs 11:2 (NIV): “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
If you haven’t seen Stacy’s ride, you can check it out here.
Let me know what you think of her ride.
Actually – it is interesting…perspective, that is. When Stacy stood on the back of her horse and revved up the crowd, I thought she was pointing up – toward heaven, indicating – “give God the glory”…..maybe I missed it or didn’t see right. I’ll have to watch it again. But, after watching initially – I didn’t take her actions in the same manner, at all…….
I beg to differ…she wasn’t pointing up to give God the glory. She was saying she was #1. Though it’s the most amazing display of horsemanship (and the most willing horse!) I’ve ever seen, her actions at the end are an unnecessary, arrogant display of pride. Her skills and utterly compliant mount had already spoken for themselves.
Amy – Great illustration of God’s communication with us!!! I had never looked at it that way before. Really brings the message home. We learn so much by following your blog…please continue sharing your gift to inspire us to walk closer with God!
Was Stacy showing off? I don’t think so, she makes her living riding horses. At a event like the one you saw she was simply entertaining the crowd. By standing on the horse at the end was just her finally. If I took a young horse and worked it several hours a day for several months, I feel that I too could do most of what Stacy did, now if you were to work Ernie would you get the same results? In comparison to the different between the two horse, probably not. Are you jealous because Stacy can ride her horse well, or that she has chosen to live a life that gives her the time to master the the thing most of us would love to master? You say Ernie has problems being behind others. Does this make him a good leader? Or is it just easier to let him lead? Some times leading takes work, sometimes fallowing takes more. work.
Unknown: Could Ernie do what Stacy’s horse did? Probably not. He’s 23 years old and pretty set in his ways. Not to mention I don’t have the patience or the skill to train him to do those things.
You’re right, sometimes it is more work to follow, particularly in Ernie’s case. People I ride with often let me lead because they know how much I fight with him if he’s not leading. Ernie likes to lead and is more manageable when he’s leading. That doesn’t make him a good leader.
When we’re following, we’re often challenged as well. It’s not always easy to be submissive to the authorities God has placed over us. When we don’t submit and respect those authorities we end up with power stuggles and frustrations. Not a happy place to be. Following and leading have their challenges.