I learned something today …

A novice horse lover, I have just gotten back into riding. My new mount, Diego, is a gorgeous boy with the sweetest temperament. All he wants to do is please!

Or so it seemed at first …

I learned early on that Diego has a hard mouth. This means that it takes a lot of force to communicate to him that he has to slow down! And so, the longer we rode together, the firmer my grip became on the reins. One day, however, I noticed that he was basically out of control. No matter how hard I tried to pull him back, he wouldn’t slow down. Once I finally did get him back into a walk, even his walk was fast and agitated; and the thick coat of sweat that covered his body, despite it being the middle of winter, attested to his anxiety.

I was devastated. Diego had never acted like this before! I was going to have to do something different!

The next time I rode, I worked on staying totally relaxed. This helped a lot, but Diego was still coated in thick sweat when our ride was finished. The following week, not only did I sit like a sack of potatoes on his back, but I also relaxed my grip on the reins. What a difference! When he mis-behaved, I simply had to tighten up a little, then release my grip again, and he relaxed back down.

And that’s what I learned today! Diego doesn’t like a tight rein!

But wait. Neither do I! I am an independent person, I don’t like someone breathing down my back, controlling my every thought, my every move! When someone is constantly controlling every decision I make, I feel trapped, angry, rebellious!

God tell us: “…choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served…or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 NASB) Is this why God tells us we are free to choose who we will serve?

I mean, I have often thought about this, wondering why He allows people to commit the heinous crimes that are a part of this sad world. God could, after all, stop them! I mean, He didn’t have to even put the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden! He could have left it out, and sin would have never happened! Why, God? You knew our propensity towards evil! Why give us that horrible choice knowing good and well we’ll make the wrong one?

The reason became clear to me today! If God were to keep such a tight rein on each one of us, we wouldn’t be happy to serve Him! Like Diego, we would be anxious, hard-mouthed, doing everything in our power to get out from under God’s control! God doesn’t want a bunch of robots to serve Him, neither does He want us to serve Him because we have no other choice! Rather, He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20 NASB) He wants us to love Him, to serve and obey Him out of love! And so, God loved us enough to put that Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. He loves us enough to let us live on a loose rein. His hope is that we will realize how much He loves us and will serve and obey Him – not because we have no other choice, but because we love Him!

I was raised in a strict, sectish religion, and I was afraid of God. I was afraid I would inadvertently disobey one of the many man-made rules of this religion and God would send me straight to hell! My relationship with God was non-existent, I felt anxious, I didn’t like being in God’s presence. I felt just like Diego does when I ride him with a tight rein! The day I truly experienced God for Who He truly is was a great day for me. I realized God will let me have my head and make my own decisions. Oh, He will guide me when I ask, and when I follow His lead, I’m always happier, but He does not insist. He loved me, even if I inadvertently broke one of the man-made rules of the religion I was raised in!

Do you find yourself in the thralls of a works-based religion? If so, you are not serving God the way He wants to be served. You are serving the religion. Let go. Accept that God saves us by grace and not by works. Surrender yourself completely to Him! When you do, you and God will become friends, and a love-based relationship will begin for you as you learn of His love and learn to depend upon Him … by choice!

Oh, and I’m pretty sure Diego and I are going to have a much-improved relationship after today as well…

In His love,
Lyn


Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries