Again Jesus spoke to them saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
- John 8:12 (ESV)
One evening recently I came home after dark from a meeting that went overtime. I fed my horses before leaving to attend and left them in the barn, figuring I would only be gone for about an hour and would return to put them out to pasture before twilight. Not only that, but weather was expected to be good, with no rain in the forecast.
The horses were wearing their waterproof sheets because there was a bit of a chill in the air and they were antsy in the barn. Unless the weather is severe, they prefer it out in the pasture where they can run and engage in horseplay which is preferable to standing or lying down in a stall which over time gets quite messy due to the call of nature.
In addition to the dark upon my return, a heavy mist was falling making it very gloomy indeed. And the horses were anxious in their stalls, as they always were when I return and they are inside, anxious to return to the pasture.
Our beautiful pony, Charm, pictured on this page is always the one to go out to pasture first. She runs around with her freedom while she awaits the others to join her. But 0n this night it was different. As we approached the gate and opened it, she didn't run out; she just stood motionless and looked over at me with a strange look in her eyes. I tried several times to walk her out, but she wouldn't budge, looking out into the darkness and then looking back. And then it became obvious why she was reluctant. She was afraid to go out in the pasture which obviously looked menacing indeed. And looking back at the well lit barn, the contrast was stark, from bright glowing light to a dark void. I thought to myself that if I were in her position I wouldn't want to go out either, at least not alone.
Seldom do I put the horses out at dark and when it is still light out, Miss Charm sees me go back to the barn several times and return with her pasture mates who then join her. But on this occasion, she didn't understand what was happening because she was consumed by the nothingness of the dark. So I took her back to her stall, took the boss mare out first, followed with the others and retrieved Charm last. And then when the gate was opened, she ran out with glee, realizing that her friends were with her. It was being alone in the darkness, that's what bothered her and it should have been noticed earlier.
And it reminds me of the scripture passage at the top of this post. Jesus Christ offers us light and eternal life while the Fallen One offers nothing but darkness and despair both during and when this life is done. And even a cute and alert pony can remind us of that. It was just another example of how His message so often can be clearly displayed in our everyday life if we pay attention to God's nature around us. God bless you all and stay in the bright light always.
This and some beautiful Christian and patriotic music and a prayer will be this weekend's Sunday Morning Coming Down topic. Join us at the following link:
tobtr.com/s/8315063
The show goes live Friday night at 7:30 and then will be available on demand, 24/7. God bless you all.
- John 8:12 (ESV)
One evening recently I came home after dark from a meeting that went overtime. I fed my horses before leaving to attend and left them in the barn, figuring I would only be gone for about an hour and would return to put them out to pasture before twilight. Not only that, but weather was expected to be good, with no rain in the forecast.
The horses were wearing their waterproof sheets because there was a bit of a chill in the air and they were antsy in the barn. Unless the weather is severe, they prefer it out in the pasture where they can run and engage in horseplay which is preferable to standing or lying down in a stall which over time gets quite messy due to the call of nature.
In addition to the dark upon my return, a heavy mist was falling making it very gloomy indeed. And the horses were anxious in their stalls, as they always were when I return and they are inside, anxious to return to the pasture.
Our beautiful pony, Charm, pictured on this page is always the one to go out to pasture first. She runs around with her freedom while she awaits the others to join her. But 0n this night it was different. As we approached the gate and opened it, she didn't run out; she just stood motionless and looked over at me with a strange look in her eyes. I tried several times to walk her out, but she wouldn't budge, looking out into the darkness and then looking back. And then it became obvious why she was reluctant. She was afraid to go out in the pasture which obviously looked menacing indeed. And looking back at the well lit barn, the contrast was stark, from bright glowing light to a dark void. I thought to myself that if I were in her position I wouldn't want to go out either, at least not alone.
Seldom do I put the horses out at dark and when it is still light out, Miss Charm sees me go back to the barn several times and return with her pasture mates who then join her. But on this occasion, she didn't understand what was happening because she was consumed by the nothingness of the dark. So I took her back to her stall, took the boss mare out first, followed with the others and retrieved Charm last. And then when the gate was opened, she ran out with glee, realizing that her friends were with her. It was being alone in the darkness, that's what bothered her and it should have been noticed earlier.
And it reminds me of the scripture passage at the top of this post. Jesus Christ offers us light and eternal life while the Fallen One offers nothing but darkness and despair both during and when this life is done. And even a cute and alert pony can remind us of that. It was just another example of how His message so often can be clearly displayed in our everyday life if we pay attention to God's nature around us. God bless you all and stay in the bright light always.
This and some beautiful Christian and patriotic music and a prayer will be this weekend's Sunday Morning Coming Down topic. Join us at the following link:
tobtr.com/s/8315063
The show goes live Friday night at 7:30 and then will be available on demand, 24/7. God bless you all.
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