Once upon a time, when I was a child, we had a horse, or I should say a colt.
Star was a palomino, a lovely light gold with a white blaze on her forehead and four white feet. She was a small horse, only about 14 and a half hands tall. She was about two years old and Dad decided it was high time to start training her.
Up until now, her days had been spent running around in the field with her mother, eating grass, kicking up her heels, doing whatever came into her head. It was time she learned proper horse manners.
So Dad called the mother horse in and the colt, named Star, followed her right along. First Dad slipped a halter over Star’s head and fastened it firmly. That didn’t bother her too much, after all, he was bribing her with grain.
Then he attached a lead rope and begin to lead her into a corral; now that bothered her. She planted her feet and begin to pull back on the rope. Dad was ready. My older brother had a willow switch, and he stood just behind her. When she walked forward with Dad nothing happened except she was given pieces of carrot from his sweater pocket on a regular basis. When she planted her feet, Mike switched her lightly one time on her rump, which surprised her so much she would trot forward. As soon as she moved forward, she would be given a carrot again. It didn’t take her too long to discover carrots are nicer than switches, and she walked nicely on lead.
Once she’d learned the lead, Dad put a saddle blanket on her and an empty saddle. You would have thought he dropped a wasp nest on her! She reared, she bucked, she squealed! And it didn’t do her any good. Dad was a master at fastening on saddles and she couldn’t get rid of it.
After a while, she kicked herself tired. Dad came up to her with more carrots and gentle petting and led her around on the lead. After a while he took the saddle off. The next day, he put it on again and she didn’t fight quite so much.
In three or four days, she didn’t fight it at all and Dad started tying feed sacks to the saddle to give it a little weight. Step-by-step, he gentled Star. Her fussing and fighting did her no good.
She learned to accept a rider and soon she was a good, obedient horse.
Have you been gentled? Your parents have been trying ever since you were little to teach you proper manners. Have you learned to say please and thank you and excuse me? Have you learned the famous rule, “Good manners in seven words be found, forget yourself and think of those around?”
True Christians will be among the gentlest and kindest and politest people. Jesus was never rude, even when he had to speak plainly to some who weren’t doing as they ought. I’m sure he said thank you and excuse me and pardon me and please.
In heaven people will not be stubborn, argumentative, angry, or selfish. If we aren’t that way in heaven, shouldn’t you be learning good manners now? Your parents are trying to gentle you, so don’t be a stubborn horse about it.
You will be much more useful to God and everyone will like you better if you learn good manners.
God’s Love Reminder Verse:
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. (Proverbs 25:11)