It’s taken me a while to write about this situation. I needed time to process all that happened and all that could have happened.
On a recent trip to SD, Greg was seriously injured in a riding accident. It was the result of several unintended consequences all coming together at once. Sadly, he came off his horse onto a pile of rocks, beneath a barbed-wire fence in which his horse was tangled. By the time the dust settled, he had four broken ribs, a punctured lung and a cracked vertebrae.
In looking back, I now see that God’s hand was protecting Greg through the wreck. I’m sure some of you may be thinking that if God had been really watching out for Greg, the situation would never had happened in the first place. I understand. Let’s unwrap both sides of the argument.
Now it’s obvious that God had been protecting Greg. First, a man that was riding with us that day was a former EMT. I had no idea what to do when the accident occured nor did the rancher for whom we were working. That morning I wondered where that stranger had come from; later that day I was thanking God that he was there. He kept Greg from passing out and going into shock until we were able to get him out of the canyon in which we were working.
Second, the place at which the accident occurred was the only place all day where we could drive a truck in and out. An hour earlier and we would have needed a helicopter.
Third, I know God was watching over him because the horse stepped on Greg’s rib cage. Yes, he has four very painful, broken ribs right now. But, had that horse stepped on him three inches to the right, he would have stepped on his internal organs. Three inches north and the horse would have stepped on his heart. You tell me – how lucky was he?
Now, for those of you thinking that if God had really been watching out for Greg the accident would not have happened, I must say that I prefer that it hadn’t taken place. God, however, has a purpose in the accident. Can I tell you what that purpose is? Not with 100% certainty. Perhaps this is what was needed to cause the horse’s owner to sell that horse before it hurt someone worse? Perhaps God is using this event to cause Greg to do some soul-searching in his life. Perhaps God was sending me a wake-up call to realize how important Greg is to me? That moment of panic when I saw the horse step on Greg is one I’ll never forget. He may be working in other ways that we may not yet see. In time, we will.
Friends, Greg’s accident is a reminder to me how we take our loved ones for granted and we also take for granted that we know our horses. Please, please, please remember that as much as we think we know our horses, they can always do something unexpected. And more so, please tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. Try not to take them for granted — ever.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amy
