An energetic, somewhat easily distracted, and beautifully joyful little girl walked right into my heart this summer. I cannot share her name because it’s possible that it would jeopardize her safety. But you guys have to hear her story. So, for the time being, we shall call her Sophie.
Sophie is 10 years-old, loves horses, and more than anything loves Jesus. Taken from her biological family at age 7 because of abuse, she’s had her share of trauma. And yet, her enthusiasm and zest for life is absolutely contagious. In our first conversation, she asked ME if I were a Christian and if I knew Jesus.
One of Sophie’s biggest dreams is to work toward cantering. So, each session we choose a riding skill to develop that serves as the perfect foundation towards this goal. Patiently and diligently, Sophie has learned to shorten her reins, practice the emergency stop and dismount (even bareback!), and learning to post. She has great aptitude and natural balance, but more importantly self-motivation that helps her through the less exciting exercises.
To Sophie’s utter dismay, one day she came for sessions and the sky grew overcast and stormy. It is a rare Central Oregon day when we do not have full sun all afternoon — really, all day for that matter! Though we can ride horses in the rain, we must put them away at the first sign of lightning and the prospects certainly weren’t looking good for our session. We opted to grab a Bible instead and run through the rain up to the Lookout, a shelter nestled into the back ridge of the ranch.
And we just hung out and talked.
For the first time, I got to hear more of her story. She opened up and shared about her family dynamics, her trauma, and her healing. I sat amazed as this little girl, who by all means could have been cowering in a dark shell of pain and mistrust, openly talked about these hard things with a smile and light in her eyes. When I asked her how it was that she could be so joyful about all that has happened to her, she gave the most profound answer.
“I know there was a lot of bad stuff that happened, but I feel like God turned it all to good because now maybe I can understand and help someone else who’s going through a hard time.” She paused and thought a minute then slowly continued, “It’s sorta like an egg. You can’t eat that raw egg, but when it’s cooked, it’s really yummy!”
I laughed and Sophie said, “Wow… I just came up with that now by myself!”
What an incredible understanding of suffering from a warrior so young.
Sometimes I complain and ask God why we have to go through suffering and I have a hard time remembering the bigger picture that Jesus gives us in Scripture. Paul tells the Corinthian church, “Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.” (2 Co. 2:6, NLT) Sophie knew that God was using her troubles to prepare her to help others.
At the end of our non-horse, rainy session, in typical Sophie fashion, she declared, “You know what? I’m kinda glad it rained because otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten to hang out and talk. That was a lot of fun!”
Again, Sophie exercised her habit of thankfulness in even the little things — and I smiled. Little did she know God was using her in that moment to remind and encourage me of His faithfulness.
Lord Jesus, I often ask that You would use me and then am surprised and discouraged when things get hard or trouble comes. Please help me to remember that You are just answering my prayers to use me and train me to better help others. You take the most bitter, raw seasons of life and make them wholesome and yummy. I can forget that discomfort, heat, and fire are all part of that process! Thank You for my dear little friend and the lessons you teach me through her each time we get to hang out. I’d ask You’d help get her to cantering soon.
Riding Wild Hope 