Be Strong In The Lord

A final word:  Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

Ephesians 6:10

As we were helping our daughter prepare for her first 4H Horse and Pony show I was first reminded of God's amazing hand.  He created such a beautiful animal!  As I stood up close to my daughter's horse I could feel the tightness of her muscles and inspect the workmanship of our God. From every brown speckle and every breath it took I was amazed a the pure beauty and strength of this massive beast standing beside me.  I was so proud of my daughter for the hard work she put into training her horse and the ability she had to lead it with one jolt of her hand or one click of her tongue.  As it got closer to her showing her nerves began to show up.  She was concentrating on the pattern of her event along with the finishing touches to make her horse and herself look just right.  As I saw the nervousness in her I began praying for her to feel peace, and prayers for her horse, as well, to feel that same peace and present calmness in a barn with tons of people and strange horses.

When it was time for my daughter to walk out to perform I remembered this verse that hangs in her room with a picture of a cowboy and his horse:  Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  When it comes time for us to do something difficult it is God's strength we can rely on and not our own.  We don't have to do all the work by ourselves.  God gives us the strength we need to perform under all circumstances, big and small.  When you have something big you are facing and you feel like you just can't do it alone remember this verse that says you aren't alone!  Let God's strength be yours and stand up tall to whatever lies ahead.  Be strong in the Lord!  Trust that you are prepared and that He is capable of carrying you and helping you succeed.  Use His power and not your own!  

My daughter didn't place in her first try but she still had a smile on her face.  God proved to her yesterday that she could go out in front of many people and lead her horse with confidence.  She put her trust in Him when she began to worry and pulled her strength from Him.  She took God's mighty hand and let her Master lead her.  I couldn't be more proud of that lesson she learned.........it's way better than winning any ribbon at the fair!