Trusty Steed -- Trustworthy Men & Women of God

While having my morning devotion yesterday, my eyes became fixed on the painting across my living area from me. I remember when my husband and I purchased that painting decades ago. We bought it because we saw King David (thus, the small bust of David that sits below the painting) and his muscle-bound, trusty steed and his majestic power that is being harnessed by David’s power. Restrained horsepower!

I looked up horsepower to see where that word came from. I found that when the steam engine began to do the work of horses in mines in the 1800s, the mine owners asked how many horses an engine would replace. James Watt (that guy whose name appears on our lightbulbs – watt/wattage), who invented steam engines, found a way to equate horses to engine power. Thus the term, horsepower. Watt measured the capability of a big horse to pull a load and found it could pull a weight of 150 pounds while walking at 2.5 miles per hour. That works out to 33,000 foot-pounds per minute or 550 foot-pounds per second. There you go. Now you know, too. You’re welcome!

Back to the trusty steed's horsepower being harnessed by David’s power. Trust. Trustworthy. Steed (spirited and ready for war). The greatest use of the word, trust, is in this scripture. “TRUST in the Lord with all your heart…” Proverbs 3:5. Don’t we want to TRUST in others with all our hearts? I learned from caring for my grandson’s animals that I needed to gain their trust. I needed to be trustworthy.

I’m showing my age here but two of my favorite TV shows were Roy Rogers and The Lone Ranger. Roy Rogers trusty steed, Trigger”, would come to him when he whistled. He performed and showed up because he trusted Roy. The Lone Ranger saved his horse, Silver's life from an enraged buffalo and, in gratitude, Silver chose to give up his wild life to carry him. We had a huge quarter horse “Brave” to help rustle up our cattle (We had 75 head of cattle. That story is for another day) and it took a little time to gain his trust but before long our little 5-year old daughter could ride him fearlessly.

Trust is a really big deal. We’ve heard it said, “They have ‘trust’ issues”. That’s because someone was untrustworthy. We’ve seen how marriages, partnerships, and friendships have been destroyed because someone proved they couldn’t be trusted.

Trust is defined as “Firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something.” In these days, our core values need to be redefined. A relationship with a horse or another animal, and most importantly, with those people in our lives that we hold near and dear to our hearts, isn’t based on snuggles and hugs and kisses. It’s based upon trust. Not so much ours of them, though that is important. But more important is the horse’s trust, the loved one’s trust… in us. The horse can’t be talked into trust. Trust has to be proven to him. It is the same for us. Trust is proven over and over, day by day, lifetime by lifetime. “Trust the Lord with all your heart” is possible because time and again, God proves Himself trustworthy to us. Shouldn’t the words “Trust Donna or John or Cathy or Sam with all your heart” be the same because WE are trustworthy? If a horse can become a trusty steed to take into battle and be assured of victory, shouldn’t we be trusty/trustworthy men and women of God that are linked arm and arm with brothers and sisters to wage war on the enemy of our souls and WIN big? Shouldn't trustworthiness be a priceless treasure and one of our top core values?

A 2+ Ton Birthday Surprise

Day 234 of Photo Inspirations -- A 2+ Ton Birthday Surprise!!
Five years ago today, I and my sweet husband, who had just been in the hospital for several days, were getting to go home.  It was my birthday and it would be my sweetheart’s birthday in two weeks. Lots of reasons to celebrate.  He made it through 5 surgeries and lots of complications, but this day he was still here to celebrate another one of my birthdays and here to celebrate another one of his birthdays.   God was so good to us. We knew that a little birthday/coming home party awaited us at home.  Ron’s sister and brother-in-law and our dearest friends, “The Michie’s”, had dinner and the party waiting for us there.  But we weren't aware of the 2+ ton gift that awaited us.

We packed up everything out of the hospital room and we headed out of the hospital -- the nurse wheeled Ron down to the vehicle waiting area where we thought Ron's sister and brother-in-law were picking us up.  But what to our wandering eyes should appear but a gorgeous silver Buick Enclave – with a big red bow on top.  It was a magnanimous birthday gift for both of us from Ryan and Shawntel.    We were overwhelmed to say the least.  It was our dream-come-true car and it was incomprehensible that a gift of this magnitude was given to us by our kids.  I can't begin to explain how, even though my sweetheart could not drive then because of the high dosage of pain meds, he could sure sit in the driver’s seat and play with all the incredible high tech "bells and whistles" of the car.  Of all the surgeries, treatments, and other intervention methods to bring him to a place of comfort during the last 8 months, there was none like the mental and emotional therapy he received with this gift.  No words could have adequately expressed our gratitude.

As I’ve stated many times over, our faith ALWAYS said, “Nothing is impossible with God”.  We fully expected that his healing would come and he'd be able to drive that car everywhere. We just believed he would.  But, he drove it only one time before his graduation to heaven.

That time was when I needed to run into the grocery store for a few items.  He waited in the car for me.  As I was checking out my groceries, I received a phone call from him.  He said,  “What are you doing?”  I said, “I’m just checking out!”  He said, “I just wanted you to know I’m driving around the parking lot and I’ll pick you up at the South door.”  He had always been the best of drivers, but I gulped because he hadn't been able to drive for obvious reasons, but this day, God protected him and everybody else in that parking lot so that he could have one chance to drive his dream car. It was so precious.  My BOY had a new TOY -- and he LOVED it.

A few months ago, when I was at the 62,000 mile warranty expiration on the car, I called Ryan and asked his opinion about me buying an Extended Warranty.  He said, “We may need to consider trading it in on a new car!”  And to that, I said, “Oh no – that car will continue with me as long as it can.  There are just too many sweet memories of dreams coming true and Dad's joy attached to it.”  I bought the Extended Warranty.

On this day, I'm celebrating another year of God's blessings to me.  I'm still here so I'm not done.  My sweet ride, "Silver",  is still here so it's not done either.  We have lots of assignments to take care of.....and we'll continue to go many more miles on this amazing journey toward heaven.....and, might I add.....the journey gets sweeter and sweeter every day!