Can you imagine wearing a layer of dark brown hair all over your body when it’s 85 degrees and 80 percent humidity? Add to that a bevy of flies buzzing your head and biting you incessantly, and you can empathize a bit with my horse.
Yesterday, Ernie and his pasture mates took refuge from the scorching sun underneath the lean-to but that subjected them to more flies. They huddled close together to minimize the amount of exposed skin. Their tails flung ferosiously to brush away the biting demons. When I took Ernie from the other two, I really upset their established defense system.
Fly in the rain by Burning Image
I quickly brushed Ernie down and doused him in lots and lots of fly spray. I could sense his irritation subside as the misted of fly spray floated onto his body. He knows that stuff is magical against flies even if it temporarily makes his hair and skin attract the sun.
As I was grooming him in the beating sun, I was sweating. I hadn’t even put the saddle on and I was uncomfortably warm. I got to thinking, “what is the last thing I would want to do right now”? Exercise. I would not want to exert myself in any way in the heat and humidity, with the sun blaring. So, I left the barn without riding. It felt like a loving thing to do.
I wish I were able to put myself in others’ shoes more often, especially when conflict arises. That perspective would be so valuable in shaping my responses or my actions towards others. Unfortunately, all too often I’m caught up in defending myself, making my case, reaching the outcome best for me that I sometimes lose sight of the people with whom I interact.
In Matthew 7:12 (NLT), Jesus instructed, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.”
How often we lose sight of this direction. And these: “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)
And this from Paul, “[Love] does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.” 1 Corinthians 13:5
What do I really want others to do to me? Treat me with respect. Love me. Don’t judge me. Speak kindly of me. Don’t second-guess my decisions. Don’t put demands on my time that I’m not willing or able to meet. Read my blog (thank you). Be patient with me.
How do you want others to treat you? How can we remind ourselves to treat others as we want to be treated?
